Florida Institute of Technology — Link Building Fume Hood Modernization

Project Overview

The Link Building at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida houses laboratories, classrooms, and offices. BEED Engineering provided mechanical and electrical engineering design and project administration for a 25,700-square-foot fume hood modernization in that facility.

This is a companion assignment to the Olin Physical Science Building fume hood work on the same campus. The Link Building conversion also took a constant air volume laboratory exhaust system to variable air volume operation.

The Challenge

Constant air volume laboratory exhaust keeps hoods safe by running at full volume. That uses more energy than necessary and makes it harder to hold laboratory conditions as hood use changes.

The design had to:

• Upgrade the constant air volume exhaust system to variable air volume
• Provide equipment and controls for safe fume hood operation, including variable frequency drives, bypass dampers, and controls for roof-mounted utility fans
• Replace single-duct variable air volume boxes with venturi supply air valves

BEED Engineering's Scope

BEED provided mechanical and electrical engineering design services and project administration, including:

• Mechanical engineering for fume hoods, exhaust and supply air valves, fume hood monitors, sensors, variable frequency drives, and HVAC controls
• Electrical engineering for transformers and electrical disconnects
• Project administration through the modernization

Engineering Solutions

The laboratory exhaust was converted from constant air volume to variable air volume. Venturi supply air valves replaced single-duct VAV boxes. Fume hood monitors, sensors, variable frequency drives, and HVAC controls support that sequence. Transformers and electrical disconnects complete the electrical side of the 25,700-square-foot Link Building modernization.