By Russ Jackson
You can't ignore America's love for reviving old buildings. They preserve history, honor heritage, and create a feeling of permanence in the community. Buildings constructed before World War II can only stand for so long until they must come down or be renovated. Those with historical relevance have to be considered for renovation, because once a piece of history is destroyed it's gone forever.
Renovating UMW's Third Oldest Building
The University of Mary Washington, named for President George Washington's mother, was founded in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1908. The campus aims to remain true to its history by renovating the buildings it wants to continue occupying. Virginia Hall, UMW's third oldest building (built in 1915), went through a massive renovation. The 51,000 square-foot, three-story residence hall had its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems replaced and an underground steam line relocated. Those modern upgrades, paired with the historical preservation of door trims, plaster, the original cast iron staircases, and terrazzo floors, made Virginia Hall one of UMW's premier dormitories.
Kjellstrom + Lee Construction out of Richmond awarded Southern Air's Richmond construction group the mechanical and plumbing contracts. Southern Air Project Manager Kyle Wilson led his team through the installation of new hot and chilled water systems that heat and cool the building. Two Innovent dedicated outdoor air systems were installed in Virginia Hall's attic to distribute fresh air throughout.
Replacing 1,000 Feet of Underground Steam Line
A central part of this renovation involved demolishing and replacing the old underground piping that provided steam to the building. These main steam lines travel directly underneath Virginia Hall. Our team installed almost 1,000 feet of pre-insulated piping ranging in size from 2 to 6 inches. Only after the new piping was complete did demolition of the old steam lines begin, which cleared out room for the new mechanical systems.
“During the steam shutdown, we had to have very specific code welders. Because of this, all our welds had to be inspected – 100% every weld,” says Wilson. “We hired an x-ray subcontractor to x-ray and examine every single weld to verify it's done correctly, and we have no doubt, that's how Southern Air does it.”
Learning Butt Fusion on the Job
Another unusual part of this renovation involved an uncommon method of pipe fusion. Thermofusion, commonly called butt fusion, heats the ends of two pipes to a molten state as they are pressed together, creating a sparkless bond. This was a first for a few Southern Air team members, like plumbing mechanic Codey Graham, who was introduced to butt fusion and had to learn it and apply it on the job.
“It was a great experience for me to learn about butt fusion. That was new technology to me and very interesting to play around with to get comfortable using it,” says Graham. “This is a piping material and method our customer required, so our only option remained providing them with excellent and expert service. We didn't have a single problem with thermofusion. I loved it.”
Sixteen Months of Equipment Installation
Above ground, our construction teams installed a large amount of equipment. During the 16-month renovation, Southern Air installed hot water and electric unit heaters, hot and chilled water pumps, domestic recirculating and booster pumps, a steam domestic water heater, and a steam heat exchanger. Much of that work was routed and coordinated ahead of time through our Building Information Modeling team, which matters in a building where there is no spare room to improvise.
“This project would not have gone as smoothly or been as successful without (assistant project manager) Joe Kaiser being on site majority of the time. Joe kept the guys on track with schedules we developed as well as making sure the guys had all the materials needed,” says Wilson. “Putting a modern HVAC system in a historic building will definitely test your patience. I have a great deal of pride involved with Virginia Hall. My team and I learned a great deal throughout this renovation and I'm very proud of them for making this another successful Southern Air project.”
Virginia Hall is one of several residence halls Southern Air has worked in, alongside Liberty University's Commons IV and the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall.
Interested in joining a team that takes on projects like this? See our open positions.
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