We were very excited when we were awarded this project to install a new carrier VRF system. The work took place in an 8,000 SF, three story building surrounded in the heart of Philadelphia that originally held home to a bell telephone exchange company back in the early 1900’s. Now, its future residence will be a Government Agency. Our general contractor on the project was one of the finest in Philadelphia and it was a pleasure to work with them. We went through a vigorous bidding process lasting around half of a year. At the time of the award, the owner of the building also hired the construction management company to oversee the process, which made it even more challenging. The owners were going for an ultra high efficiency building, sealing every possible hole in the building envelope, and installing many layers of insulation. Their goal for this interior fit out was to build something that would sustain the test of time. Therefore, they wanted to make sure that the new system that we installed was very accurately designed in conjunction with the mechanical plans and met the design conditions that they were looking for.
We spent months working with our Carrier commercial VRF product manager/application engineer to plan a system consisting of 13 separate zones and a central ERV system to provide 1,575 CFM of treated air from the outside back into the building. The total system was sized at 26 tons. The owners wanted to tap into the full potential of the VRF system. One of the key features is the heat recovery option which allows the capability to cool and heat different zones at the same time. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest benefits of the VRF system. We all know that in a lot of buildings, the first floor is always cold while the third floor is always hot. So, this is where the VRF comes in. Our commercial installation team and management team consisted of the Dyfort brothers Edward and Artem, and our senior installers Alexander M and Paul B. The project manager Alexander Kobryn was overseeing the project and every step of the process.
The guys worked tirelessly day after day to meet all the deadlines. Especially with all the chain distribution issues, we had to work around the clock to make sure that we’re staying on schedule. The job was completed, on budget and within the schedule, and we are very proud that we were selected for this job.