Herman Miller MarketPlace
TRANE HELPS HERMAN MILLER MAKE ITS OWN OFFICE AWARD WINNING
TRANE HELPS HERMAN MILLER MARKETPLACE WIN LEED GOLD RATING
Herman Miller, Inc. is a leading global provider of office furniture and services for the workplace. Since 1936, they’ve pioneered many of the design concepts that are now common in today’s offices. Because the Herman Miller organization understands the value of smart design so well, they set the bar high when it came to the design of their new office building, Herman Miller MarketPlace, in Zeeland, Michigan. The goal was to create a prototype office environment that showcases practical applications of Herman Miller products. The 100,000-square-foot building would also serve as a working space for 450 Herman Miller employees consolidated from five different sites. But there was a loftier goal as well —at least LEED Silver Level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition, Herman Miller requested that all design and construction be based on the newest Green Building standards. That being the case, Trane was a logical choice for the HVAC system.
The Beta Design Group and Trane’s Grand Rapids office worked together closely on the HVAC system design for the Herman Miller MarketPlace. They decided on four TRANE IntelliPak™ rooftop units rated at 50 cooling tons each with VAV distribution. “We knew rooftops would lower the first cost, and VAV distribution would help assure a system efficiency and good comfort throughout the building,” said Doug Brant of the Beta Design Group. Trane’s rooftop units use electrically driven scroll compressors for cooling with a design that allows the cooling units to operate at 100%, 80%, 60% or 30% of capacity for optimum efficiency. They also have two-stage gas heating sections with long-life stainless steel heat exchangers. And of course, Trane’s IntelliPak system provides the interface with building controls. This was going to be a very efficient system, but at Herman Miller they weren’t just concerned about efficiency, they wanted superior IAQ as well.
The Trane rooftop units are paired with Semco Pinnacle air-to-air ventilation air treatment units, and together they effectively control the humidity of incoming air. The system also uses CO2 sensors to adjust ventilation rates to building occupancy. So it was clear they had found the right system, now they just needed to get it installed incredibly quickly. The whole building was being fast tracked and, according to Brant, Trane was quick to get on board. “Trane understood our need for speed and the requirement that all the drawings be right the first time. We didn’t have time to do drawings twice.” Since the specified control system for the MarketPlace was a TRANE Tracer Summit™ system, Trane was able to save valuable time by testing and installing controls right in the factory. “This was the only way we could meet this schedule,” said Brant. In fact, the building was completed ahead of schedule – in an astonishing short 6.5 months. And this wasn’t the only area in which the Herman Miller MarketPlace exceeded expectations. Once the facility operations were reviewed, the building received the LEED Gold Level certification. Brant is quick to point out that the success is due to getting the right people involved, “I tell people that the most important thing is to assemble a good team in the beginning.” At Trane, we couldn’t agree more.
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