UT-Austin – Townes Hall HVAC Renewal (Phase I, II, & III)

Originally constructed in 1952, Townes Hall is home to the University of Texas School of Law. This project was focused on replacing six air handling units, two building chilled water pumps, the main electrical distribution panel, and approximately one-third of the electrical panelboards.

An initial facilities programming report was developed to evaluate a number of options for upgrading the aging HVAC and electrical systems.  As part of this study, it was determined that a three-phase implementation of AHU replacements would be needed to completely renew all fifteen existing AHU systems.

Phase 1 scope of work included the replacement of five legacy multi-zone and constant-volume AHUs with six variable speed AHU systems (57,000 CFM total), including preconditioning outside air coils for improved humidity control within the building.  The engineering team worked closely with the UT Project Manager and the Building Manager to develop outage phasing plans as part of the bid documents, limiting both HVAC & electrical building outages, as well as costly off-hour contractor work requirements.

Phase 2 scope of work included the replacement of four legacy multi-zone AHUs with six variable speed hot and cold deck AHU systems (55,200 CFM total), including preconditioning outside air coils for improved humidity control within the building.  Additional scope of work included significant LED lighting and lighting controls upgrades, within the main auditorium.

The engineering team worked closely with the UT Project Manager and the Building Manager to develop outage phasing plans as part of the bid documents, limiting both HVAC & electrical building outages, as well as costly off-hour contractor work requirements. As a result of the team’s redesign efforts, significant energy efficiency improvements were implemented along with improved equipment maintenance access.

Phase 3 scope of work included the replacement of two hot/cold deck AHU’s and six single zone AHUs (84,800 CFM total) located in a single mechanical room. The innovative design replaced the eight existing AHUs with four larger units: two hot deck and two cold deck AHUs. Additionally, six new air terminals were added within the mechanical room to provide zone control to the existing low pressure zone ductwork. The original aged electrical distribution equipment, including panelboards, transformers & branch circuit wiring in the areas served by AHUs, was replaced and the electrical grounding systems was upgraded.

One particularly challenging aspect of this project was the constrained access pathway into mechanical room. The engineering team worked closely with equipment suppliers, riggers and UT PMCS to coordinate a unique design approach that insured all materials could be transported into mechanical room without damage to new equipment or to the adjacent finished building spaces.

Project Title:  Townes Hall HVAC Renewal (Phase I)

Project Location:  Austin, Texas

Owner:  The University of Texas at Austin

Project Size:  167,000 SF

Total Project Cost:  $1,690,000 (Ph I), $1,970,000 (Ph II),  $1,830,000 (Ph III)

Services Provided:  Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering