Case StudiesCustom HVAC Configurations for Custom Spaces

Studio Gang is an architecture and urbanism practice based in Chicago and New York that works at a range of scales to help organizations, people and cities design their future. Focused on a design process that emphasizes sustainability, experimentation and collaboration, Studio Gang has been in Chicago since its founding by Principal Jeanne Gang 20 years ago. Recently, after years of renting space in Wicker Park, Studio Gang purchased and renovated a small building down the street. In addition to completing an adaptive reuse of the upper two floors, which now accommodate approximately 70 employees, Studio Gang built a prairie on the roof and an adjacent, enclosed event space. That 21,000-square-foot office is now cooled and heated by a Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system from Mitsubishi Electric.

Since its inception in 1910, St. Patrick Catholic Church (St. Patrick’s) in Lake Forest, Illinois, has been a place for the community to gather. Over time, as the Lake Forest community grew, the 3,900-square-foot building underwent several structural renovations to accommodate new members and guests. In 2016, after tolerating many years without air conditioning, the church decided to install a new HVAC system in an effort to make the space even more comfortable for the large congregation. It turned to Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology from Mitsubishi Electric.

When bank manager Catherine O’Neill retired in the California wine country in 2009, she decided she wanted a comfortable and environmentally friendly retirement home that made a distinct energy-efficiency statement. In a cul-de-sac of early 1960s ranch houses a few blocks from the central plaza in historic downtown Sonoma, Calif., she discovered a run-down 1962 farmhouse that had not been lived in for years but had “good bones.”

To prevent local businesses from moving, the town and the Castle Rock Economic Development worked together to propose a new office building called The Move – a name that symbolized how businesses wouldn’t have to move outside of city limits to expand. The town decided on a 50,000-square-foot, four-story building to house businesses from fast-growing industries like marketing, food auditing and general contracting. To keep businesses productive and comfortable in the new workspace, the project team wanted a quiet and reliable HVAC system that could meet tenant needs throughout the entire year. The solution was Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems with Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) technology from Mitsubishi Electric.

The Asbury United Methodist Church (AUMC) has been in operation for 228 years. Its current home in Harrisonburg, Virginia—a century old, three-story stone building— recently underwent a major renovation. As part of the effort to repair and upgrade the entire space, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology from Mitsubishi Electric was selected for AUMC’s education wing, classrooms and outreach room – a total of 23,000 square feet.

Luke Higgins, director of operations for MacRostie Winery & Vineyards (MacRostie), Healdsburg, California, described the ultimate wine tasting room as one with “an environment of casual sophistication. It has a highend touch but is still accessible for all people.” When MacRostie created its new Estate House, it was this vision that drove the design. To offer patrons comfort and create the desired ambiance, that meant cooling and heating with a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system from Mitsubishi Electric. The result is what Higgins called “our dream tasting room.”

Carter Oosterhouse might best be known for his work as a television host and producer for shows like TLC’s “Trading Spaces” and HGTV’s “Carter Can.” Now, though, he can also be known for his wine. Brothers Carter and Todd Oosterhouse conceived, opened and now run the Bonobo Winery in Traverse City, Michigan. The facility features a gorgeous winery and tasting room. Behind the scenes is a production facility, a 3,000-square-foot barrel room and offices1. While the behind-the-scenes spaces may not be intended as part of the experience for guests, it was still important to the Oosterhouse brothers to have modern, usable spaces. Zoned comfort solutions from Mitsubishi Electric made that possible, conditioning the barrel room, offices and hallways.

Drummond Island, Michigan, is home to just over 1,000 people. Toward the center of town sits the Drummond Island Medical Center, a 2,973-square-foot facility dating back to the 1950s. The center houses a medical clinic and its staff, an x-ray room, a physical therapy area, multiple labs and a dental office. After years of discomfort and needing more space, a renovation brought the facility up to current hospital standards while expanding the interior. Renovation challenges included consolidating the mechanical room, decreasing the sound traveling between rooms and ensuring a healthy environment for visitors and staff. Zoned Comfort Solutions® from Mitsubishi Electric solved every challenge while ushering in a new era of comfort.

Fred Rogers, Rush Health Systems’ veteran vice president, chief resource officer and facility manager decided to renovate an existing building for the administration portion of his new hospital and enlisted architects to create plans for a new 44,000-square-foot addition to house the patient care section. For the new patient care addition, Rogers easily selected the Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) zoning system from Mitsubishi Electric. “Fortunately, I installed my first Mitsubishi Electric VRF [zoning] system years ago in our flagship Rush Health Systems hospital in downtown Meridian. That system saved me $36,000 the first year.

The Covenant School was founded 30 years ago in Charlottesville, Virginia. The lower school, for students in pre-K through 6th grade, is located in a 65,000-square foot historic brick building dating back to 1935. With almost 300 students, faculty and staff members, the school needs to operate seamlessly. When an old boiler system became what board member Jay Taggart called a “ticking time-bomb,” the school knew a new heating system was needed. Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) from Mitsubishi Electric served as the ultimate answer to that need, providing zone control, air filtration and the added bonus of cooling.