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Business Situation

Hartford, Connecticut's Bushnell Memorial Hall is an architectural national landmark theater presenting symphonies, opera, ballet and touring Broadway productions. When the Bushnell management extended the theatrical season into the hot summer months, The Bushnell found that its existing HVAC system did not have the capacity to cool the auditorium. In fact, the system was operating at a cooling performance of 45,000 CFM, not the required 90,000 CFM.

The Bushnell contacted SavageALERT, a PPL Company, which had been maintained the existing HVAC system since the late 1980s. SavageALERT accepted the challenge of upgrading the existing HVAC, and the fan and control system, without damaging the existing structures of this museum-like, architectural landmark.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

• Upgrade a world-class theater's existing HVAC, fan and control system to operate at 90,000 CFM.
• Retrofit as much of the existing equipment as possible.
• Soundproof the system to avoid disturbing performances.
• Provide a comfortable environment for patrons and performers.
• Accomplish all work in a timely manner so as not to disrupt the theater's performance schedule.

BUSINESS SOLUTION

The Bushnell approved SavageALERT's recommendation to install a new HVAC control system for environmental reliability. All existing HVAC equipment, including fans, was to be retained so that no system work would disturb the architectural integrity of the landmark. Instead, components were retrofitted to increase cooling performance to 90,000 CFM.

"Since SavageALERT already had a maintenance contract it was natural to go with them," says The Bushnell's Erika Haynes. "They worked with the system's designer engineer to have the necessary equipment on hand to do the installation/upgrade on the very complex project in the shortest possible time," she continued. "And through it all, SavageALERT was available and accessible to respond to our needs. We could depend on them for follow-through when we had a question or a problem. In fact, they still have our maintenance contract, including monitoring our new system, and that says a lot."

RESULTS

The Bushnell now has a controllable, efficient, powerful HVAC system that provides a comfortable environment for people on both sides of the footlights. "Having to use the existing fans was a huge challenge for SavageALERT because they were noisy," notes Haynes. "But it was one they met successfully, with minimal interference with our performances. Now the theater is cool, and we don't have a noise problem."

Adds Haynes, "SavageALERT's careful preparation, knowledge of our facility and understanding of our unique challenges kept our project on target. Their representatives were accessible and responsive, and their ability to schedule the work flexibly helped us complete the project without disruption to our performance schedule - or the comfort of thousands of audience members."

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