The community of Norwood, Colorado, welcomed a brand-new public library and gathering place. In addition to general library space, the nearly 11,000-square-foot building features a lobby, children’s area, multipurpose room, business center with conference room, study rooms, offices, break room, warming kitchen for events, and restrooms. The 2,000-square-foot multipurpose room and warming kitchen provide flexibility for the community to hold meetings and catered events.
On the Anderson Hallas Architects team, 360 Engineering provided mechanical and plumbing engineering consulting and design services. As a primarily tax-dollar funded project, in addition to occupant comfort, the budget was an important factor when selecting the mechanical system. The prefabricated metal building did not allow for roof-mounted systems, so the mechanical design included a grade-mounted RTU and several gas furnaces with split DX cooling. These small furnaces worked well with the architectural design as they fit in tighter spaces, allowing for maximum use of space.
In addition to mechanical and plumbing design, 360 Engineering performed an energy model analysis, helping meet the project’s Green Globes rating system goals.
