SVA - Wins ASHRAE's National Technology Award for The Admiral Fell Inn Renovation

Innovative, High Efficiency Design Technologies Incorporated into the Historic Hotel Renovation and Addition Project.

Spears/Votta & Associates, Inc. (SVA) won First Place for the coveted National Technology Award in the Commercial Building Renovation category sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The award was presented during the ASHRAE Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to winning this national award, SVA was recognized at the regional level with three other high efficiency building design awards.

Listed as one of the "Historic Hotels in America" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the original 38 room Admiral Fell Inn was built in 1860. The hotel complex consists of the original hotel building at the corner of Thames and Broadway Streets, with expansion along Thames Street, comprised of several additional historic buildings. The facades of the original buildings were retained. The entire structure behind the Thames Street brick facades was rebuilt for the hotel expansion. Renovated and converted into an 80 room luxury hotel, the building complex now consists of approximately 65,000 square feet, including guest rooms, several restaurants, rooftop meeting rooms, pubs, retail spaces, lobbies, and other hotel support spaces. This $6.5 million dollar project, took three years to complete, during which time the hotel remained open to the public and in full operation.

Ice coils being rigged into underground vaults Beyond the historic facades, and carefully concealed within the structure, is a high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. SVA applied multiple high efficiency technologies including 1,200 ton-hours of ice thermal storage, two cooling towers, low temperature water and air distribution, smart guest room and computerized control systems, variable speed drives for all pumping and air distribution systems, high efficiency boilers and water heaters, efficient indoor air quality management systems, as well as high efficiency electrical system design. The 6 thermal storage coils where placed into a water filled triangular concrete vault with divers performing the final positioning of the massive units underwater. All of this technology was concealed within the limited spaces of the historic building in order to conform with the restrictive architectural guidelines of the project.

Thermal ice storage mechanical systems use inexpensive night time electricity to produce large tanks of ice. The ice is then melted to cool the building during the day time period when electricity demand costs are very high. This highly efficient technology allows the building owners to operate their HVAC systems at a significantly reduced operating cost. The ASHRAE National Award is presented for innovative application of high efficiency technologies and creation of an ideal indoor environment with measurable and proven results.

Owner: BCW Limited Partnership
Engineer: Spears / Votta & Associates, Inc.
Architect: L.R. Rayburn & Associates
Mechanical Contractor: Maryland Mechanical Systems, Inc.