Hunter College Glass Box Addition, New York, NY

“Size:
12,000 SF

Highlights:
MEP/FP Design
Energy Modeling
”

Hunter College High School has long been a model for gifted education, attracting and nurturing some of the brightest and most talented young students in the nation. The school building that serves these remarkable young people was built more than 50 years ago and has not yet been updated to reflect the exemplary programs it houses.

The project includes MEP/FP design and energy modeling for the addition of a 4,800 SF, two story glass additional to the Hunter College Campus School. The space is intended to be multi-purpose and highly flexible for both elementary and high schools.

The tall glass structure had extremely high thermal loads. Three options for mechanical systems where evaluated as part of the preliminary project phase including an option for a dedicated outdoor air unit with a VRF unit, combined with radiant floor heating.  As part of the study we presented the advantages and disadvantages to each system type so the client could make an informed choice.

SETTY scope includes energy modeling and a report. The energy modeling was completed using eQuest Building Simulation software and compared the baseline model based on the NYCECC-2020 with the proposed design.  Based on the simulated data, the energy conservation measures taken by the design team were successful, the proposed design outperformed the base by 32%.