ACADEMIC WORK

 

University of Massachusetts Amherst Engineering Research Building 

As one of the first Distance Learning Centers in our portfolio, RDK learned alongside Ellenzweig how complicated it can be to include an auditorium next to a chemistry building.  UMass gave us some strict criteria including a recommendation that we avoid putting any of our equipment on top of the auditorium in order to maintain scenic views from the other buildings.  This meant we had to house our systems in the basement mechanical room and distribute air through crawl space to auditorium which is separated from the main building by atrium.  Since UMass had concern of fume hood exhaust re-entrainment to outside air intake into our building and other buildings on campus, we designed a high delusion, high plume exhaust fan which eliminated this worry. UMass had reported problems of supply air draft issues at other buildings, which we could not have with chemical fume hoods, so we implemented a Variable Air Volume (VAV) System for the fume hood make up air to save energy and did an arrangement of perforated ductwork to minimize the draft.

At RDK we understand how important it is to make Higher Education more accessible through the means of distance learning. We also realize how essential temperature and airflow are in labs. We take the time to understand how our engineering designs affect the people who will occupy the spaces.

      Key Features:

  • New 60,000 square foot building, $18mil cc
  • 40K square feet of wet research and teaching space with over 40 fume hoods
  • Multiple site and architectural constraints on space for MEP designs
  • Lab HVAC system provides 100% redundancy
  • Distance learning classrooms
  • 12,000 square foot two-story auditorium
  • Glass atrium connecting two buildings