Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical, Inc.

Architect:

Strand Associates

General Contractor:

The Renschler Company

Client:

Sub-Zero/Wolf Appliances

Scope Of Work

MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR:
Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical

VALUE DELIVERED

A more modern heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system; more efficient and precise temperature control; continuous operation during construction; a significantly more comfortable and productive working environment.

MECHANICAL SERVICES OBJECTIVES

To upgrade the mechanical systems in its manufacturing and other facilities; to reduce high indoor temperatures.

COMMMERCIAL HEATING & COOLING SOLUTIONS

This project involved installing new HVAC systems in two of the client’s existing assembly plants and a large building addition, totaling over 900,000 square feet of production space. Normally, this would have been a large -- but routine -- job. In this case, however, some special conditions severely tested Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical's fast-track construction expertise.

At one of the plants, the client had recently installed new assembly line equipment. This equipment generated heat that drove indoor temperatures 10-to-20 degrees above those outside, creating extremely difficult working conditions and substantially reducing employee productivity. As a result, the client wanted new cooling systems operating as early in the summer as possible. To address this problem, we installed a new 1,300-ton chiller plant, including three industrial centrifugal chillers and three cooling towers. Though work didn’t begin until late March, we had the commercial chiller system installed and in operation by July.

There were other challenges, too. The HVAC system installation used 3,200 feet of 10-inch butt-welded carbon steel supply-and-return piping to distribute chilled water for air conditioning. Much of this had to be installed over a fully operational production assembly plant. To complete this task, we performed the work in multiple-shifts and implemented extra worker safety measures. This minimized disruptions to the client’s operation and kept the project on schedule.

Furthermore, we needed to place 20 fan coil units over the plants’ production lines on mezzanines 23 feet above the floor. These units, which weighed 5,000 pounds each, were up to nine feet wide, 11 feet long and nine feet tall. Four of these had to be put in directly over high-tech assembly lines accessible only through narrow corridors. Yet, we crews safely rigged these securely into place with no incidents.

Finally, we provided a fully digital temperature control system that enables more efficient heating and air conditioning system management and monitoring.

INDUSTRIAL FACILITY BACKGROUND

Sub-Zero acquired Wolf Appliances in 2000. At that time, the company decided to move Wolf’s manufacturing facilities from Compton, California, to a 62-acre Sub-Zero/Wolf campus in Madison, Wisconsin. The construction of a completely new 300,000-square-foot factory plus office space was the first step in that transition. In addition to new production quarters, the investment included all new machinery and tooling for manufacturing Wolf appliances.