Comfort Supply, Inc. December 2016

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Location: Winston-Salem, NC Building Size: 313,996 ft2 Year Built: 1929 Building Usage: Hotel Suites + Private Residences Installation Date: 2015 Architect: Strada, LLC Mechanical Contractor: First State Mechanical Equipment Summary: Air Cooled Heat Recovery VRF, Water Cooled Heat Recovery VRF, Mini S-Series VRF, P-Series Split Systems, Premisys DOAS Units, Diamond Controls & Energy Allocation Software

BACKGROUND:

Erected in 1929, The Reynolds Building is a historic landmark in its hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Upon first glance, even the casual observer will notice that the structure looks improbably familiar: namely because the building served as architectural inspiration for the internationally-recognized Empire State Building. Although the New York City monolith is nearly five times taller than its Southern predecessor, there is no denying that the building’s iconic Art Deco style was directly inspired by the Reynolds Building.

For nearly 80 years, the Reynolds Building served as corporate headquarters for The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds America, Inc. In 2009, Reynolds America relocated their offices, putting the building

up for sale. The iconic landmark was jointly purchased in 2014 by PMC Property Group and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Group, with plans to divide the floors between a boutique hotel and luxury apartments.

With the renovation of the historic Reynold’s Building came plans to replace the outdated HVAC system with a modern, energy-efficient system. Moreover, the system needed to be capable of providing tenants with individual control, while also remaining discreet and quiet.

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The R.J. Reynolds Building: Mitsubishi Electric Brings State of the Art HVAC Technology to Historic Landmark

CHALLENGE: QUICKLY DELIVER HIGH-PERFORMANCE, MINIMALLY INVASIVE HVAC AND COMPREHENSIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS TO AN ICONIC ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK.

Comfort Supply, Inc. December 2016

SOLUTION:

Unlike new construction, historic renovations have the added challenge of preserving the building’s classical aesthetic and architecture. Oftentimes, installing traditional applied systems can severely impact the character of historic buildings. For this reason, many developers seek alternative HVAC solutions that offer greater flexibility in design and installation; as such, VRF systems are becoming an increasingly popular HVAC solution for historic buildings.

The mechanical contractor on this project, First State Mechanical, is a VRF veteran with a successful history of using Mitsubishi Electric HVAC systems. First State Mechanical had previously worked with CSIpgh on a prior PMC / Kimpton Hotels job, so the decision to once again collaborate with CSIpgh and install Mitsubishi VRF systems was a natural choice. This particular project is notable to Comfort Supply, Inc. because it is their largest commercial project undertaken to date.

Construction on this project was to be fast-paced, and Comfort Supply, Inc. stepped up to the challenge. Over 485 tons of equipment were purchased from CSIpgh and delivered to Winston-Salem within a few short weeks.

Compared to traditional, custom-made ducted systems which have long lead times, VRF equipment takes a fraction of the time to fulfill an order.

Because the Reynolds Building was slated for phased occupancy, there was added pressure for the contractors to work quickly and efficiently. Once the 84 outdoor condensers were installed, 425 indoor units were installed floor by floor. One of the many benefits of VRF is that systems can be installed incrementally— this allowed for piecemeal

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“IN TERMS OF BREADTH OF MITSUBISHI AND CSIPGH PRODUCTS, THIS IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT THAT I’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH IN MY 31 YEARS IN THE HVAC

INDUSTRY.” -DAVE HECKLER, CSIPGH PRESIDENT

Comfort Supply, Inc. December 2016

occupancy as construction was completed on individual floors.

Comfort Supply, Inc. provided continual support during all stages of the project. This included making several trips to Winston-Salem in conjunction with Mitsubishi to provide on-site support, advice, and technical assistance. Additionally, CSIpgh Technical Advisors also provided remote monitoring and start-up assistance to First State Mechanical.

Nearly the entire range of Mitsubishi HVAC systems were utilized on the renovation, including: air cooled heat recovery VRF, water cooled heat recovery VRF, Mini S-Series VRF, P-Series Split Systems, and PremiSys DOAS systems. “In terms of breadth of Mitsubishi and CSIpgh products, this is the most comprehensive project that I’ve been involved with in my 31 years in the HVAC industry” says CSIpgh President, Dave Heckler. In total, the Reynolds Building has 84 systems providing a maximum capacity of 5.8 million BTUs.

Equally important to the mechanical equipment are the systems controls used in the building. System operators have front-end control of the entire building’s HVAC system using Mitsubishi Diamond Controls. This state-of-the-art system uses VRF control infrastructure to provide real-time graphics

and diagnostic capabilities for both Mitsubishi and non-Mitsubishi HVAC equipment alike.

The apartment portion of the building operates Mitsubishi standard VRF controls, with the addition of Energy Allocation Management software. Additionally, nearly all rooms within the apartments and hotel utilize Smart ME Remote Controllers, which feature occupancy sensors and energy save functions. This helps to conserve energy throughout the building by ensuring that vacant rooms are not running their HVAC systems idly.

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EQUIPMENT LIST: (201) PEFY-STYLE CEILING CONCEALED INDOOR UNITS (2) PKA-STYLE P SERIES INDOOR UNITS (225) PLFY-STYLE CEILING CASSETTE INDOOR UNITS (9) PQRY WR2 SERIES OUTDOOR UNITS (3) PUMY-STYLE S SERIES OUTDOOR UNITS (22) PURY-STYLE R2 SERIES OUTDOOR UNITS (2) PUY STYLE P SERIES OUTDOOR UNITS (9) PVFY-STYLE VERTICAL INDOOR UNITS (10) HE2X RENEWAIRE ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATORS

Comfort Supply, Inc. December 2016

RESULT:

Today, the newly-remodeled Reynolds Building has been given new life as a mixed-use residential and commercial building. The building’s ground-level is occupied by Katharine Brasserie & Bar, and floors two through six are part of the eclectic Kimpton Cardinal Hotel. Floors seven through nineteen serve as The Residences @ the R.J. Reynolds Building, luxury 1- and 2-bedroom apartments managed by PMC Property Group.

Despite the unique challenges involved in this type of a project, VRF has once again proven to be an effective heating and cooling solution in historic renovations. Dave Heckler notes, “As a representative of Mitsubishi for over 25 years, one of our biggest challenges is getting engineers and architects to overcome industry bias that VRF will only work on small to mid-sized buildings. The use of VRF of the Reynolds Building is living proof that VRF is a great solution for projects of all sizes.”

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“ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS GETTING ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS TO OVERCOME INDUSTRY BIAS THAT VRF WILL ONLY WORK ON SMALL TO MID-SIZED BUILDINGS…VRF IS A GREAT SOLUTION FOR PROJECTS OF ALL SIZES”

- DAVE HECKLER.