City of Baltimore MECU Building HVAC Systemic Renovation

The MECU building is a 92,000 sf eight-story office building with a ground level and mezzanine.  The MECU Building houses multiple Baltimore City Government offices such as the City’s Bureau of Accounting & Payroll, Office of Risk Management/Safety, Information Technology Office, and other City of Baltimore Government agencies and tenants.  Gipe Associates initially performed a Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to determine the optimal HVAC system for the MECU Building.  Based on the LCCA, a water source heat pump system was the selected system for the HVAC replacement.  The new HVAC system serves the building in its entirety.  Field investigations were performed to identify areas that required the ceiling grid and lighting to be removed and to design new lighting and controls for those areas.  Existing sanitary, vent, storm water, domestic and non-potable water, and fire suppression systems modifications were provided where required for the HVAC renovation.  Electrical design included connections to new equipment, lighting fixture/controls replacements, and fire alarm system modifications.

A challenging aspect of this HVAC renovation was the fact that some spaces remained occupied during the renovation.  The occupied spaces were to remain open and operational with all associated utilities during the course of construction, requiring Gipe Associates to coordinate a “phased while occupied” plan.

Gipe Associates was the prime design professional for this project coordinating the efforts of architectural and structural subconsultants.

Project Type: Civic,