821 Maryland Avenue NE

This is a 24-unit apartment building built in 1920. The new owner is converting the project for use by interns on Capitol Hill that will turn the building over in 3 trimesters every year. The building has received mostly new infrastructure including piping and electrical service upgrades as well as a new split system HVAC system. All new kitchens and bathrooms are being installed and renovated and all of the common spaces are being upgraded to provide amenities for the interns like classroom spaces and lounges. At the end of this project, the building will function as a new building with all new infrastructure meeting modern-day energy codes.

In consideration of the new HVAC system, a number of design systems were assessed. Not only did we consider and study through wall systems and electric radiant heating, but also looked at a new VAV system. While working closely with the MEP engineer ,we closely considered space requirements both within the units as well as on the rooftop. In looking into the roof, we discovered that a full roof replacement was required which worked to our advantage in properly installing the supports for the rooftop equipment, as well as increasing the R-value of the building.

We were unaware that the roof needed replacing and we had to carefully balance a delayed electrical service upgrade such that we could close out the permit with the new HVAC system on it and still not exceed the current power loads of the building. A lot of time and design work occurred in the construction phase with very tight deadlines.