Robeson Community College (RCC) partnered with Brady Services on a design-build initiative with the goal of enhancing indoor air quality and reducing energy consumption. The college allocated Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funding to high-needs indoor air-quality improvements. The project centered on the replacement of the outdated multi-zone air handling units in the core campus facilities spanning Buildings 1-7. RCC looked to Brady Services to meet their time and budget requirements set by HEERF federal funding.
Challenge: Timeline
RCC needed to have the work under contract by the HEERF funding cutoff deadline, otherwise they risked missing out on using their funds. The design-build team needed to evaluate the project, set a scope and budget, complete the design, undergo design review, negotiate the contract and sign the agreement before the deadline expired. To do this, the team worked up front with the State Construction Office to confirm a compressed design review process and clarify expectations. Once the drawings were submitted for plan review, the design-build team set budgets and agreed to the scope of the project with RCC. Once the drawing review was completed with no major issues, RCC and Brady signed an agreement for the work to take place.
Solution
Given the declining performance of the air handling units, it was crucial to replace them to ensure optimal space conditioning and air quality for students and faculty. Initial evaluations revealed that like-for-like new AHU units would not fit within the existing footprint. The design-build team determined that the most effective approach to achieving the school’s objective was to upgrade the seven multi-zone AHU systems to twelve single-zone AHUs. One of these new AHUs came equipped with new variable air volume (VAV) terminal boxes for individual zone control, and the remaining eleven AHUs were sized to the existing zones. The project included new AHUs and VAVs, new controls, minor structural modifications and ceiling rework, and new pumps for the central loop.
Impact
The proactive approach taken by Robeson Community College staff allowed for the AHU replacement construction to be completed in October of 2024. Since the scope of the project came in under budget, RCC further authorized Brady to design a chiller plant and a boiler plant replacement, which will take place in Spring of 2025. The installation of new AHU systems not only improved indoor comfort and air quality but also made significant strides toward achieving long-term cost savings and sustainability goals.