Bala provided MEP/FP engineering services for the new 3-story elementary school with classrooms, gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium, media center, administrative offices and support spaces.
The classrooms were heated with finned-tube radiation and ventilated using a central, ducted Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) located on the roof. The DOAS provides ventilated air, which is mechanically cooled to remove humidity. The DOAS rooftop units also include a Total Energy Wheel to allow for heat recovery of the buildings exhaust air. The classrooms are fitted with controls to indicate to the inhabitants when it is appropriate to open the windows for natural ventilation by monitoring the outdoor air temperature and providing an indicator light in each classroom. When the light is on, the space heating equipment de-energizes, the ventilation air continues but the cooling and heating are de-energized allowing for untempered filtered ventilation air to continue to ventilate the classrooms promoting energy savings. The occupants will be able to open the windows with no energy penalties promoting increased ventilation air to flow through the space.