Project Profile: DC37

Engineering firm: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC
2022 MEP Giants rank: 68
Project: DC37
Location: New York, NY, United States
Building type: Office building; utilities/public works/transportation
Project type: Existing building retrofit
Engineering services: Automation, controls; electrical, power; energy, sustainability; fire, life safety; HVAC, mechanical; plumbing, piping
Project timeline: January 2019 to July 2025
MEP/FP engineering budget: $50,000,000

DC37 Current Exterior. Courtesy: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC

Challenges

The challenges of this project were to try to get the client a modern MEP system which would achieve LEED Gold certification, WELL certification and comply with Local Law 97 through 2035 (latest year with requirements to date). This needed to be achieved while still keeping the project budget in mind. We worked with our internal Energy Solutions group to create energy models and compare different HVAC systems on their energy efficiency for DC37. We are also installing sensors to monitor the different forms of energy usage, such as Electrical, Gas, Condenser Water and Hot Water at multiple levels of the whole system.

DC37 Exterior Rendering. Courtesy: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC

Solutions

We worked with our internal Energy Solutions group to create energy models and compare different HVAC systems on their energy efficiency. We went with a Water Cooled Heat Recovery VRF system for the perimeter building spaces which have cooling and heating loads and with a more conventional Water Cooled AC design for the interior spaces. This system has a good turndown ratio and can be ramped down in heating and cooling mode as needed based on space requirements. We are also installing sensors to monitor the different forms of energy usage, such as Electrical, Gas, Condenser Water and Hot Water at multiple levels of the whole system.

DC37 Rooftop Rendering. Courtesy: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC

DC37 Interior Rendering. Courtesy: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC

DC37 Lobby Rendering. Courtesy: Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers PC

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