Completed
May 2023
Address
2121 W. Harrison St.,
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
General Contractor
Trane
Services
Replacement of an air handling unit (AHU) that serves the first floor. Installation of new chiller, pumps, heat exchanger, make up water system, buffer tank, VAV boxes with hot water re-heat and new exhaust fans.
The existing AHU needed to remain running until the new AHU and chiller were functioning at 100%, which meant space was tight. The freight elevator did not go to the penthouse, so we were forced to rely on the passenger elevators to move our material and equipment. Lead times on equipment created an additional obstacle.
Because Trane was not only the general contractor but also the equipment manufacturer, CTM worked closely with their team, who were able to redesign the unit to account for the elevator issue. With the newer, shorter, but wider unit size, we were able to crane lift five assembled sections into the penthouse instead of breaking down each section into panels and rebuilding on the pad. This saved us an estimated 200 person-hours. Andy Klingberg resolved the issue of getting the material on the elevator by laying out the entire job and ordering material accordingly to be boom lifted by a Porter Pipe & Supply truck onto the roof, which could then be brought into the mechanical room penthouse. Space continued to be a challenge, requiring us to use smaller teams, and Andy ended up doing 60% of the pipework himself.
Dave Tharp ensured at the demo that he had enough room to assemble the new unit—rerouting ductwork to make space and confirming we did not double-handle fittings. Dave and Andy laid out the new VAV boxes carefully to have them tied into the existing AHU to maintain airflow to the spaces while closing enough of the connections for the new unit to make its transition easily. The crew worked one night shift to shut down the old AHU and tie all zones into the new AHU so the people in the space never experienced a disturbance. CTM worked with Trane to get material in different avenues to ensure a steady workflow.
While the job did go slightly over on hours on the pipe side, and material cost inflation took a toll, the VE of the AHU and reduced human power for equipment installation meant we closed out right on budget. We owe a big credit to Andy Klingberg and Dave Tharp for bringing this job in. The building engineers were very appreciative of both their efforts and were sad to see Andy leave. The PE for Trane told us, “This is the best project Trane has ever done and CTM is to credit.” We are so glad we got to partner with Trane on this challenging and rewarding project.
Let us exceed yours.