The following article was published in ASHRAE Journal, June 1997.
© Copyright 1997 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
Inc. It is presented for educational purposes only. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE.
A S H RA E JOURNAL
1997
Technology
Award
Typical dormitory room with integrated radiant panel bulkhead.
Dormitory Renovation Project
Reduces Energy Use by 69%
By Michael J. Kokayko, P.E.
Member ASHRAE
B
aldwin Hall is a three-story, 46,000 ft2
(4 273 m2) dormitory on the campus of
Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. The
building was originally built in the 1950s; an
additional wing was added in the 1970s so that
is has about 37,000 ft2 (3 437 m2). The build-
ing contains approximately 100 double-occu-
pancy student rooms; three common bathroom
groups per floor; central study, lounge, and
computer areas; and a laundry. Design for the
renovation started in the winter of 1993; con-
struction took place in the summer of 1994.
The major goals of the renovation were:
(1) to replace the entire building heating sys-
This project won in tem (central boiler plant, distribution piping,
the category for and room heating terminals); (2) add a venti-
Institutional lation system within the building; (3) upgrade
Buildings. the building electrical system; (4) provide
computer data cabling and cable TV wiring to
each room; and, (5) improve room and hall-
way lighting and finishes.
June, 1997
The renovated Baldwin Hall has a
hydronic heating system with a high-effi-
ciency modular gas boiler plant. A perimeter
“integrated radiant panel bulkhead system”
serves to conceal and route ventilation duct-
work, heating piping, control tubing, and
data/cable wiring throughout each floor and
room. Radiant panels in the soffit of the bulk-
head assembly provide heat to the rooms. A
diffuser in the fascia of the bulkhead supplies
conditioned ventilation air to each room. Air-
to-air energy recovery was integrated into the
design of the ventilation system. Each central
About the Author
Michael J. Kokayko, P.E., C.I.P.E , is the
engineering project manager for the Phila-
delphia office of Burt Hill Kosar Rittel-
mann Associates. Kokayko has been
involved in HVAC engineering projects
and energy research for 8 years. He has
bachelor’s degree in architectural engineer-
ing from the Pennsylvania State University.
ASHRAE Journal 33
Author Michael J. Kokayko (second from left) with his
firm’s president, John Kosar, AIA (third from left). Others
(from left) are college officials Ken Hanna, director of fa-
cilities and construction; Robert Egmond, director of phys-
ical plant; and Thomas Cardman, vice president of finance.
rooftop ventilation unit has a cross-flow plate heat exchanger
which uses the bathroom exhaust air to preheat the incoming
ventilation air. The building control system is a hybrid DDC/
pneumatic control system. All major equipment (boiler plant
and heat recovery ventilation units) are controlled by local
DDC panels. Room radiant panels are controlled pneumati-
cally. The building is connected into the campus DDC network
for centralized monitoring.
Energy Efficiency
Design for the new Baldwin Hall mechanical system
needed to be energy-efficient, cost-effective, reliable, and pro-
vide good occupant comfort. The college was interested in
exploring energy-efficient options if the were financially fea-
sible. Applied technologies needed to make sense from an eco-
nomic standpoint; they were not to be incorporated simply for
technology’s sake. All systems were designed to meet or
exceed the requirements of ASHRAE Standard 100.5-1991
“Energy Conservation In Existing Buildings -- Institutional.”
Boiler Plant: Several alternate boiler plant types were stud-
ied via computer energy simulation, and by life-cycle cost
analysis. Based on these studies, use of four high-efficiency,
sealed-combustion modular gas boilers was determined to be
both the most efficient and least costly option. The simple pay-
back for the upgrade to the high-efficiency boiler plant was
estimated to be three to four years.
Service Water Heating: A semi-instantaneous heat
exchanger operating from the boiler hot water system virtu-
ally eliminates the standby losses associated with storage
water heaters and storage tanks. Additionally, domestic hot
water was required to be supplied at 120°F (48.9°C) to
reduce the potential for scalding. By eliminating the “stag-
nant” storage volume of low temperature hot water (less than
140°F [60°C]) Legionella pneumophila colonies can not
develop in the service water system. Use of a combined space
heating/service water heating system must meet the provi-
sions of ASHRAE Standard 100.5-1991 (Section 8). By
34 ASHRAE Journal
Boiler plant has four high-efficiency, modular gas boilers.
The modular plant allows operation in the event of failure.
The DDC control system rotates boiler firing to provide
even equipment wear.
selecting a boiler module approximately equal to the service
water heating load, applicable provisions within the standard
were met or exceeded.
Ventilation System: For the building to comply with
ASHRAE Standard 62-1989, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor
Air Quality, approximately 3,600 CFM (1 699 L/s) of outside
air is brought into the dormitory. Due to architectural con-
straints, three units supplying one third of the total ventilation
air are located above the bathroom cores at each wing. Close
proximity of exhaust and ventilation air streams allowed air-
to-air energy recovery to be considered. Analysis showed the
payback for incorporating heat recovery to be less than two
years. Cross-flow plate heat exchangers are incorporated into
the ventilation units. Since the building is not air conditioned,
sensible heat recovery is used in lieu of total heat recovery.
Indoor Air Quality/Comfort
The building is designed to comply with the Ventilation
Rate Procedure of ASHRAE Standard 62-1989. A 100% out-
side air ventilation system ducts air to each room in the build-
ing. Due to the residential occupancy, the ventilation system
operates continuously. Each dormitory room receives 30 CFM
(14 L/s) continuously. At each central ventilation unit, the
incoming outside air is brought through pre-filters and an 85%
final filter to remove airborne particulates. These units also
temper the ventilation air to a neutral temperature (~72°F).
Duct lining was not permitted within the ventilation ductwork.
A linear supply grille introduces the ventilation air to each
room. Linear grilles were selected to provide good air mixing
within the room (via jet expansion and room air entrainment)
thus maximizing room “ventilation effectiveness.” Diffusers
were selected for proper throw at the relatively low air vol-
umes of the ventilation system.
See Kokayko, Page 36
June, 1997
 Advertisement in the print
edition formerly in this space.

June, 1997 ASHRAE Journal 35

Graph shows consumption of natural gas before and after
renovation.
Kokayko, From Page 36
Each dormitory room is provided with individual thermostatic
control of the radiant panels. The system can maintain occupant
comfort within the comfort zone as defined within ASHRAE Stan-
dard 55-1992, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human
Occupancy. Use of ceiling radiant panel heating greatly improves
the occupant comfort by increasing the radiant temperature of all
surfaces in the room (affecting an increased Mean Radiant Tem-
perature) regardless of furniture placement.
Innovation
Due to very constricted floor-to-floor elevations, the rout-
ing of piping, ductwork and data cable was problematic. Bulk-
heads within the corridors had to be minimized both
dimensionally and in quantity. To solve this problem, a perim-
eter bulkhead system was conceived. This “integrated bulk-
head” contains all services (mechanical, electrical, and data/
communication) that are routed to each student room. Compo-
nents within the bulkhead are accessible for service or modifi-
cation. The entire assembly is rugged enough to withstand the
wear and tear associated with the dormitory environment.
Active radiant panels make up the bottom of the bulkhead.
Inactive panels serve as the bulkhead fascia. Heating piping,
ventilation ductwork, and pneumatic tubing are located within
the bulkhead. A cable tray for data and cable TV wiring also is
located within the bulkhead. Inconspicuous portions of the
bulkhead are perforated to ensure that the ambient temperature
within the bulkhead does not exceed the data cabling maxi-
mum temperatures. Vandal-proof fasteners in the bulkhead
fascia can be removed with special spanner wrenches to permit
access to all concealed services.
The “integrated radiant panel bulkhead system” proved to
be a durable, cost-effective, quickly constructed, and aesthetic
solution to the architectural problems posed by the building.
Operation and Maintenance
The building system has been operating for over one year.
No problems have been experienced with the mechanical
equipment. The modular boiler plant allows operation of the
remaining boilers should one (or more) boilers fail. All pumps
are provided with standby pumps in the event of failure. The
DDC control system rotates boiler firing order and pump oper-
ation to provide even equipment wear.
36 ASHRAE Journal
Computer model of integrated radiant panel bulkhead.
The bulkhead conceals duct, piping and wiring. Radiant
panel in the soffit provides heat to rooms, and a diffuser in
the fascia supplies conditioned ventilation air.
Heat recovery ventilation units are monitored for air filter
replacement (differential pressure sensing) and for fan belt
breakage/slippage (fan motor current sensing). Additionally,
all of the 85% final filters are fitted with good quality pre-fil-
ters to prevent early dust-loading and lengthen filter life. The
building DDC system reports all warnings and alarms back to
the campus network for immediate attention.
Cost-Effectiveness
The Baldwin Hall dormitory renovation has resulted in a 69%
reduction of energy usage (145 MBtu/s.f./yr. before the renova-
tion to 45 MBtu/s.f./yr. after renovation). This translates to a
saving of approximately $20,400 per year. This reduction was
achieved without significant architectural improvements in the
shell. Therefore the saving due to energy use reduction is solely
the result of the mechanical system design.
Energy use reduction is seen despite the continuous introduc-
tion of 3,600 CFM of 100% outside air to meet ASHRAE Stan-
dard 62-1989. Ventilation air was not provided to the building
prior to the renovation. Applied air-to-air energy recovery on the
ventilation system serves to offset the energy penalty associated
with the continuous introduction of outside air.
An interesting note is that the college actually received a
credit from the contractor for incorporating air-to-air energy
recovery units in the renovation, in lieu of using separate ven-
tilation and exhaust equipment. As a result, actual payback for
the heat recovery units was immediate!
Acknowlegments
The contributions of other members of the mechanical design team
cannot be overlooked. Those members were Douglas Ellsworth,
Alvin Jefferson, John Johnson and Paul Scanlon. „
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June, 1997