New York, NY

92nd Street YM & YWHA

For a landmark community center, we provided a new chiller plant and building management system.

Exterior view of the entrance at YM & YWHA facility in New York

Value Delivered

We provided turnkey delivery of a new central chilled water plant for this 140-year-old headquarters. The client needed their new chiller plant running in time for their spring fundraising gala. So, we built it on a fast-track five-month schedule and our service department commissioned it on time.

Because we installed a new building management systems and variable-speed drives on the pumping stations, the client reduced their energy consumption and costs through better capacity control of the plant. The redundancy of our design provides uninterrupted operation, helping eliminate downtime.

Our engineering department also facilitated grants from the local utility company, further offsetting project costs. Thanks to our exemplary work on this project, the client has contracted us to provide ongoing maintenance services.

Client Objectives

Both of the building’s existing absorption chillers had failed, and they were running on rental chillers. The client needed us to design a completely new central plant that would deliver efficiency and redundancy.

Solutions

Based on lifecycle costs, we replaced existing gas-fired absorbers with 800 tons of modular, electric chillers. Our solutions also included:

  • Pumping stations with variable frequency drives
  • Plate frame heat exchanger
  • Building management system
  • Electrical upgrades
  • 2,000 linear feet of pipe

Client Background

The 92nd Street YM & YWHA is a historic cultural and community center in Manhattan that houses a performing arts center, sports and fitness areas, and developmental spaces for family programs.