Two teams from ESD now Stantec and Stantec join a total of 600 Women Build volunteers in this year’s effort by Habitat for Humanity to construct houses for Chicago women who might not otherwise be able to afford a new home. (Learn more about Habitat for Humanity Chicago’s Women Build.)
Recognized for outstanding engineering, three different ESD projects were awarded 2021 Illinois ASHRAE Excellence in Engineering Awards.
Plaques were presented at the Illinois chapter’s recent holiday party to recognize the firm’s work on the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Willis Tower Repositioning project, and 110 North Wacker.
Highlights for each project include:
- Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada: The recently completed 1.4 million square foot West Hall addition makes the Las Vegas Convention Center the second largest in the country. The building location in the Mohave Desert requires a cooling dominant system. The low-temperature air distribution design applied to a low-pressure single zone system results in a creative new approach.
- Willis Tower Podium Repositioning, Chicago, Illinois: This project was a 300,000 square foot renovation and 200,000 square foot addition to the bottom six floors of the iconic Willis Tower located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The project includes three focal entrances designed to engage the community surrounding, 30+ retail spaces, a conference center, and a public rooftop garden located at Level 4. A VAV central kitchen exhaust system was provided as a means for future tenants to connect to the system, provide the landlord flexibility, and maintain the integrity of the outdoor roof garden.
- 110 North Wacker, Chicago, Illinois: This building completed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with cohesion and Riverside Investment & Development, ESD enhanced the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system design mid-way through construction of the structure. An innovative indoor air quality program was deployed—the first of its kind for a commercial office building.
ASHRAE is a global society with a mission to advance human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. Its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration, and sustainability within the industry. The society’s annual award submissions are reviewed by a panel of working HVAC professionals.
The goals of ASHRAE align well is ESD’s mission to improve society through the built environment. To learn more about ESD’s culture and values, visit our website.
Reach out to Senior Managing Director Mehdi Jalayerian for assistance in better understanding how to optimize HVAC system configurations and air distribution methods in convention centers and high rise buildings.
