SVL Projects - Hospitality
Hewing Hotel - Luxury Hotel Chooses IPS For Comfort and Savings
The Hewing Hotel is one of the premier boutique hotels in Minneapolis. Situated in the chic North Loop neighborhood, its brick and timber building was constructed in 1897 and has served many industrial purposes in its lifetime. It had sat vacant for several years until its purchase and redevelopment by Chicago-based Aparium Hotel Group.
Location
North Loop, Minneapolis, MN
Consulting Engineer
Steen Engineering
Installing Contractor
Modern Heating & A/C
Equipment Supplier
Williams Comfort Products, Daikin, & AAON
Background
The Hewing Hotel is one of the premier boutique hotels in Minneapolis. Situated in the chic North Loop neighborhood, its brick and timber building was constructed in 1897 and has served many industrial purposes in its lifetime. It had sat vacant for several years until its purchase and redevelopment by Chicago-based Aparium Hotel Group.
Challenge
The $38 Million renovation began with the central question of which heating and cooling system would serve the hotel. The client wanted to preserve the character of the century-old building while ensuring the space offered premium customer comfort. Heating, cooling, and hot water production require particular scrutiny in a hotel renovation, as these systems account for 60 of all the energy the hotel consumes and directly impact the customer experience. The challenge was to find a system that offered some energy efficiency while being robust enough to handle the demanding Minnesota climate.
Solution
SVL sales engineer Kelly Hauenstein considered several heating and cooling systems that might fit the Hewing, including two-pipe and four-pipe hydronic systems, water source heat pumps, and VRF. Ultimately, hotel facilities managers were drawn to an innovative pumping arrangement that simultaneously serves domestic water and comfort heating and cooling needs. “The customer kept coming back to the IPS fan coil system made by Williams Comfort Products,” said Hauenstein. “It had the right price tag, and it offered system longevity and the ability to simultaneously heat and cool adjacent zones without placing noisy equipment in the guest room. The fact that an IPS system would reduce the hotel’s use of refrigerants was icing on the cake.” Integrated Piping System (IPS) is a piping arrangement that utilizes the domestic water piping loops for hot and chilled water delivery to proprietary fan coil terminal units. Two water loops constantly circulate water in the building, and every component in the loop is rated for potable use. Because the two loops run everywhere in the building, heating and cooling adjacent zones is easy. This system also drastically reduces installation costs by eliminating dedicated hydronic system piping. During late summer, when domestic utility water might not be cold enough to satisfy the entire cooling demand, the Hewing uses a chiller for supplemental cooling capacity. It is isolated from the domestic water supply via a dual-wall heat exchanger. “I really appreciate the simplicity of the IPS system,” says Tom Suek, director of facilities for the Hewing Hotel. “I’ve maintained an old skyscraper with a radiant system that presented major zoning and balancing issues…I’ve also maintained a water source heat pump system. Comparatively, the IPS system has been the best from a comfort and maintenance perspective.”