2017 Design/Build Awards: Cold Beer, Comfortable People

This was a multi-phase, mixed temperature project, which required the teams to:

• provide heating, air conditioning and ventilation for a new, 115,000 sq.ft. controlled environment warehouse
• provide refrigeration for a new, 32,000 sq.ft. draught cooler.
• provide HVAC mechanical systems for 5,594 sq.ft. of renovated office space as well as for a new, 20,715 sq.ft. two-story office
• condition a renovated 81,237 sq.ft. warehouse.

Craig Ross served as Wiegmann’s design engineer. The project manager was Bryan Kenkel. Both were instrumental in the placement of equipment and scheduling. The systems were installed under Wiegmann’s supervision by Atlantic Air Corp., Virginia Beach, Va.

Jacob Randolph, account manager, provided oversight for the project’s pre-construction engineering. He said the first challenge was to engineer and phase-in construction in a way that allowed the Hoffman team to continue
operations throughout construction, with minimal downtime.

“Typically that’s not too big of a deal, because we’re in our own space in the new building while the old one is operating,” Randolph said. “But here, some of the mechanical equipment that was serving the existing facility was located where we were planning to build the new warehouse. So we tried to minimize the length of time the system was down. We relocated equipment multiple times, to enable them to continue their operations. The existing beverage refrigeration equipment had to be moved twice, while we built a new warehouse pad and the builders assembled the
structural steel.”

It was essential to establish clear and regular communication between all parties, to determine when equipment could be moved.

Temperature Monitoring
Ross had to design the proper arrangement of HVAC systems to condition the air in very diverse environments: refrigeration at 38F, warehouse at 70F, and the two-story office space, at 73F to 75F. Beer distributors are required to monitor and report all temperatures as product moves through warehouse and draught cooler spaces. It was therefore essential that correct temperatures be maintained, in both the 32-ft. clear height warehouse and the draught cooler, as varying amounts of product move through those spaces.

A building automation system by Delta Controls was installed to provide constant temperature data to Hoffman’s staff as well as to Wiegmann in its remote, St. Louis office.
Craig Ross designed energy-efficient and lower maintenance upgrades: variable frequency drives, variable air volume boxes and fan terminal units for zone control. The main directive, says Randolph, was efficiency.
“It was important to the owner that it be an efficient system, with operational costs at a minimum.”

The project was started in late 2015 and fully completed in early 2017.

Hoffman Beverage Distribution Center

Designed and supervised by Wiegmann Associates, St. Louis, Mo. Installed by Atlantic Air Corp., Virginia Beach, Va.

Design Engineer– Craig Ross
Project Manager – Bryan Kenkel
Account Manager – Jacob Randolph

EQUIPMENT SELECTIONS
Rooftop units – Trane
Louvers – Ruskin
Refrigeration equipment – Krack
Fan terminal, variable air volume boxes – Titus
Ductless split systems – Friedrich
Exhaust fans, makeup air units – Greenheck
Building Automation System – Delta Controls