RDK Engineers

Melrose Memorial Hall

The historic Melrose Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building is a 100-year-old, 40,000 square foot; two-story municipal community building that also functions as a public gathering and performance venue for the citizens of Melrose, MA.  With seating for 800, many community events, performances, cultural events and public meetings are held in the building which is a local landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For decades, lack of air-conditioning within the building had significantly limited the use of the hall during warmer months of the year. Additionally, the heating system had begun to face serious deficiency issues and was well beyond its expected useful life.

RDK Engineers was retained to provide an energy-efficient, low maintenance HVAC system with zone-controlled heating and cooling equipment which dramatically reduced the building’s energy usage and operational expenses. RDK performed energy rebate analyses, and collaborated with an acoustical engineering firm for mitigating mechanical noise within the auditorium space. RDK also worked closely with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Melrose Historical Commission, and the Melrose Historic District Commission to ensure that the design met the interest groups’ requirements pursuant to historic preservation.

RDK’s new, energy-efficient HVAC system has allowed the town to have a better place to congregate; improving the facility’s indoor air quality, reducing operating costs, and infusing new life into the building allowed the city to operate the building on a year-round basis for the first time in the building’s 100+ year history.

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