Bronx Library Center
310 Kingsbridge Road
Bronx, NY

The New York Public Library had been planning for years to construct a modern facility to serve as a cultural center as well as a repository for literature. Dattner architects, known for their successful public facility designs, teamed up with RDA to meet the goal. In addition to its
attractive community image the new building was designed for LEED compliance and achieved a Silver rating for its sustainability and low energy use. MEP qualifying features included daylight dimming controls, variable speed premium efficiency motors, direct digital temperature controls, non CFC refrigerants and ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard compliance to name
a few.

NYPL requested mechanical systems to be selected for low maintenance, high reliability and reasonable cost while the architect required integration with structural framing and floor/ceiling layouts. A number of systems were carefully studied to arrive at the final configuration of natural gas modular boilers, chilled water/hot water central air handling units (AHU’s) and 220 tons of rooftop modular chiller capacity.

Design challenges were the name of the game for this flagship facility. Low noise level ordinances for this residential neighborhood spawned innovative design of air-cooled chillers that resulted in the industries quietest equipment. Four AHU’s with a total of 72,000 cfm were stacked in the bulkhead mechanical room to conform to the volumetric room shape. Outdoor air quantity is kept to a minimum by CO2 monitoring until the economizer controls switch to free cooling mode. Air systems were separated for staff and public areas to allow for refined controls and adjustability. Public assembly auditorium was provided with a dedicated system using high outdoor air ratios and numerous fire safety features.