Project profile: Accenture Headquarters

Engineering firm: Syska Hennessy Group
2022 MEP Giants rank: 19
Project: Accenture Headquarters
Location: New York, NY, United States
Building type: Office building
Project type: Existing building retrofit
Engineering services: Automation, controls; electrical, power; energy, sustainability; fire, life safety; HVAC, mechanical; plumbing, piping
Project timeline: March 2018 to March 2021

Accenture broadcast studio. Source: Eric Laignel Photography

Accenture internal stair. Source: Eric Laignel Photography

Challenges

Accenture envisioned building a dynamic office space in NYC that reflects the company’s core values, which include a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability. The buildout of the company’s 280,000 square foot, 9-story office space at 1 Manhattan West aspired to achieve LEED Gold and WELL Platinum certification.

As a technology consultant, Accenture also saw the need to lead by example and implement smart building technologies to show new and existing clients the possibilities of what a workplace can become in the future. These types of systems included Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) lighting and indoor air quality (IAQ) sensors.

The program required detailed design for several high-profile spaces open to clients and guests, which reside in the middle of an open office environment, including:

1. A commercial cooking kitchen and 500-occupant public assembly dining space served by new dedicated exhaust and dedicated outdoor air systems located on a roof 6-stories above.
2. A broadcast studio with dedicated supplemental cooling, stringent acoustical requirements, and precise coordination of all engineered systems to achieve the desired studio lighting and audio-visual effects.
3. A negatively pressurized Maker’s Shop for building prototype products for clients.
4. New engineered stairways to interconnect each floor.

Because Accenture’s business model is centered on client engagement and strategic planning, acoustics was at the forefront of critical design considerations. All conference and collaboration spaces had to achieve no greater than NC-30 while being able to accommodate anywhere between 6-24 occupants from a thermal comfort perspective. One challenge to meeting this goal was that the base building HVAC system requires the use of noisy fan-powered boxes for supply air delivery to spaces. To achieve NC-30, attenuators were specified with the fan-powered boxes, and each unit was selected within a specified airflow range to limit radiated noise. The physical size of the resulting equipment required detailed Revit 3D coordination. Complex controls sequences for the low-temperature air, reheat coils and demand-controlled ventilation needed to be developed to achieve the desired comfort levels.

The design team also responded to several unanticipated challenges throughout the course of the project. The project grew from 8 to 9 floors, from 240,000 to 280,000 sq. ft, with no change in design schedule. The entire project was also constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accenture open office space. Source: Eric Laignel Photography

Solutions

To address Accenture’s acoustical concerns, Syska Hennessy’s engineering design needed to mitigate radiated noise from the fan-powered boxes that the base building HVAC system required. Even though internal and external sound attenuators were specified, these features alone would not be enough to meet design requirements. Terminal units were selected in lower-than-standard airflow ranges, which drove up the physical size of the equipment. Syska effectively coordinated 3D REVIT design models with the Architect and Structural Engineer to fit the equipment in locations where radiated noise was not critical, while still providing maintenance access.

The design also included complex controls sequences to enhance thermal comfort. Dedicated controls with both space temperature and space CO₂ sensors were provided to accommodate demand-controlled ventilation sequences. To achieve complete control of supply air temperature, it was necessary to cycle between primary air and induced plenum air and specify reheat coils with each of the fan-powered boxes.

To provide better indoor quality, which has been proven to improve cognitive performance and occupant wellness, the Accenture project included the design and installation of an array of IAQ sensors, which were specified with BACnet communication protocol to track and trend IAQ data and alert the Facilities team to potential concerns.

Syska worked alongside Accenture’s energy management team in the UK to develop an energy metering roadmap as the basis for systems to be designed and installed as part of this project. Electrical metering systems were designed to measure and trend overall usage. These systems were configured to be able to separate data based on usage type classifications such as receptacle loads, HVAC systems loads, technology equipment loads, lighting loads, kitchen use loads, etc.

BTU energy meters were installed on all condenser water and hot water systems to measure and trend water-based energy use for DX cooling systems and perimeter heating systems. Pulse data from the ConEd-supplied gas meter was connected to the Accenture BMS to measure and trend natural gas usage. All metering systems were specified with BACnet communication protocols to send and store the data into Accenture’s BMS system.

The Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) lighting system designed for this project achieves all the code-required lighting controls sequences, including daylight harvesting, utilizing a vast array of smart sensors. These PoE sensors help transform the office into a more intelligent space by facilitating the sharing and analysis of information such as occupancy rates and space utilization efficiencies. PoE lighting systems offer more discreet controllability of light levels and temperatures than standard lighting design systems, which can help improve occupant productivity.

To maintain continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which started less than two months into construction, the project team pivoted substantially to a remote work environment and held several daily coordination calls. Syska held separate conference calls with the contractors to respond to questions and update them on progress of submittal and shop drawing reviews. The design team worked during a construction lockdown to help mitigate severe schedule delays.

Accenture construction COVID safety protocol. Source: Syska Hennessy Group

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