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Construction Dominos
The unforgiving schedule means all pauses have a ripple effect. Rain can slow construction and delay pipe and duct work. Later, the gym floor can’t be laid down until the HVAC is on and the building at normal temperatures. Of course, that can’t happen until the electricity is installed.
Another concern is equipment delivery. Supply chain disruptions have been all-to-common and can wreak havoc on the schedule. “Something that scares everybody is getting equipment here on time,” said Baggett. “There’s a huge volume of equipment that's going into these schools.”
Trane made sure the schools’ water source heat pumps (WSHPs) and controls were there on time for installation. Still, Trane’s contribution started well before the first shovel hit the ground.
“Trane worked with us to make equipment selections,” said Dillon Nix, principal mechanical engineer for subcontractor HNA Engineering. “Sometimes, that takes several iterations as the design changes and we're finalizing plans. Trane was really prompt, helping us get that done so we could deliver construction documents to bid.”
Trane Systems in Action
Kirkwood High School opened in August 2023 and the HVAC equipment and climate control have gotten great reviews. “Our maintenance department is very favorable toward water source heat pump due to the functionality and low maintenance,” notes Lopp.
In addition to being easy to maintain, the water source heat pumps are energy efficient and highly flexible. Combined with Trane controls, the systems adapt to widely variable loads during the school year.
“You may have only ten students in a room on a hot August day, and then you may have 20 in that room on a mild day,” said Nix. “We want to manage conditions to meet both partial and full loads and save energy and costs over the life of the building.”
The students, teachers and staff at Kirkwood High are pleased with the facility. Still, there’s been a little bit of a learning curve with the modern HVAC equipment and controls.
“My previous school was built in the 1970s,” said principal Jessica Peppard. “Every fall, we had to power down the AC and power up the heat. But this year, when I asked when I needed to turn the heat on, I was told I didn’t have to do that at all, it would just happen automatically. So, that's new and very comfortable.”