THE CHALLENGE

High humidity levels in the library were making the space uncomfortable and potentially promoting the formation of mold and mildew — prompting the university to request a study.

KED SOLUTION

Our assessment of the HVAC systems and fan coil unit uncovered a number of problems. Certain units had excess capacity while others were deficient due to an imbalance between water and air. Exhaust systems also were removing excessive amounts of air, causing the building to operate in a negative pressure condition. In addition, the unit responsible for bringing air into the building was undersized. We recommended installing an appropriate sized air handling unit to meet needed capacity, replacing the fan coil units and integrating a direct digital control for facility operators.