Ketchmark & Associates, Inc. was awarded two Excellence in Engineering Awards for recently completed projects. These awards are presented for engineering designs that demonstrate innovative ideas and solutions to problems. A total of nine awards were offered for 2002. The first award was presented for K&A's central plant design serving Roosevelt University's historic Auditorium Building. A new hybrid gas/electrical chiller concept was used to provide 1000 tons of cooling to serve this 113 year old National Historic Landmark building. A gas engine chiller was selected for one of two new chillers, providing state of the art reduction of electrical demand for this 350,000 square foot facility as well as the adjacent 19 story Herman Crown Center dormitory building. This first phase of central plant renovation also included new central boilers, cooling towers, and standby emergency generator. (Click here for entire Roosevelt University article-requires Adobe Acrobat).

A second award was presented for K&A's multi-phased design at University of Chicago Cummings Life Sciences Building. To date, nine phases of renovation have taken place in this 12 story laboratory building which houses numerous researchers of genetics, microbiology, and cell biology for the Biological Sciences Department. Six floors of the building were completely renovated as part of this work. In order to support these renovations, significant upgrades to the buildings infrastructure were required. These infrastructure upgrades include converting the building's main air handling systems to variable air volume, the installation of a 215,000 cfm laboratory exhaust system, the installation of multiple radioisotope exhaust systems, the installation of a new high pressure exhaust riser serving Biological Safety Level 3 (BSL3) fume hoods, a new process chilled water system, new electrical distribution throughout the building, a new reverse osmosis system, replacement of the buildings domestic water system, and integration of a state of the art direct digital Building Automation system to control and monitor the buildings function. (Click here for entire University of Chicago Cummings Life Sciences Building article-requires Adobe Acrobat).

Tecogen, a leading manufacturer of commercial and industrial natural gas-powered air-conditioners, has been chosen by Roosevelt University to provide natural gas-powered cooling as part of an updated hybrid utility plant--a cost-effective power source that alternates between using electricity and natural gas for air-conditioning. Roosevelt’s plant will begin operating in the spring of 2002 and will provide cooling to the university's Chicago campus, which consists of the Auditorium Building--a National Historic Landmark-and the Herman Crown Center Residence Hall. According to.....

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