Tight space and time constraints are common for multifamily projects in high-density urban areas. To combat these challenges, Philadelphia-based VBC has made a name for itself by offering a modular solution. While designing Next LVL, a multifamily residence in the heart of the city, the VBC team discovered that MagicPak All-In-One™ HVAC Systems could help achieve each of the project’s major objectives, including more living space, faster occupancy and highly desirable rooftop gathering spaces.
Compared to traditional methods, using MagicPak® helped shave off two months of labor, while meeting the architect’s aesthetic vision for the building exterior. By eliminating outdoor equipment, Next LVL could offer more of the in-demand features that help attract and retain tenants, including an expansive rooftop lounge with greenspace and unobstructed views of the city.
Optimized Space and Amenities
With space at a premium, VBC wanted to fit as many units as possible into the building footprint. MagicPak eliminated the need to run vertical line sets throughout the building, meaning square footage traditionally needed for chaseways could be used for hallways or living units. It also simplified the overall design process.
“We don’t have to worry about line sets running into fire sprinkler lines and all of the other things that we have running through a complex system,” said Sara-Ann Logan, vice president of design at VBC.
Using the MagicPak system also had another major benefit: keeping 280 condensing units off the roof.
“When you’re in a city environment and every inch counts, you really don’t want to waste space by putting condensers in places that could otherwise be livable space or provide some sort of amenity to the tenants,” said Logan.
With no HVAC equipment on the roof, that space was now available for highly desirable (and potentially rent-boosting) amenities.
“In the city with very dense living, you always want to make sure that your tenants have the ability to connect to the outside,” Logan noted. “By choosing MagicPak, we unlocked the ability to use the space on the top floor and gave the tenants of this building a unique space that I think is one of the best in the city.”
As the project’s architect, Logan also pointed to the design flexibility afforded by MagicPak.
“I can align louvers with windows and really have the ability to design exterior features the way that I want to as an architect and the way honestly that the cities want us to,” said Logan. Working with MagicPak also allowed her to achieve the seamless aesthetic she was looking for by matching various exterior colors.
“In this particular project we have five to six exterior skin conditions,” said Logan. “Being able to match those and have those disappear with the exterior was critical, and it was really easy to do with the MagicPak system.”
Less Onsite Labor, Easier Maintenance
As a modular builder, VBC was already doing the bulk of its construction in the factory. With MagicPak, most of the HVAC work could also be done offsite under controlled conditions.
“It's a really unique system and it's very user-friendly for installation purposes,” said Robert Schmalbach, VBC vice president of construction.
The all-in-one units, duct work and thermostat were installed into each living unit in the factory, dramatically reducing the time needed for HVAC field teams onsite.
“When it comes to the site, all we need to do is commission that unit, turn it on and it works,” said Schmalbach. “By working with MagicPak on this project, we were able to basically limit the HVAC field teams, onsite component to roughly 30 days versus potentially 90 days if we had gone with a different type of system.”
The time-saving benefits extend beyond construction, making ongoing maintenance simpler and more convenient.
According to Schmalbach, MagicPak “extremely quiet and user-friendly.” And because it’s housed within an individual living unit, it’s protected from the elements and easy to service.
“The technician can simply go into that unit, observe what's going on and be able to fix it without having to either chase down a leak or go to multiple different areas, which potentially could have multiple different problems. For the developer, this really simplifies their systems and their warranty work and what they need to be prepared for.”
“With MagicPak, everything’s in front of me, I can easily access it all. And if worst case, if I have to pull the whole unit out, it’s doable in a safe environment.”
--
Contact Information
Phone: 1-800-448-5872
Email: MagicPakMarketing@alliedair.com
Website: www.magicpak.com
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Triangular tower targets travelers
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners is designing a new mixed-use high-rise for the Chinese city of Dalian, located on the Yellow Sea coast. Developed by Hong Kong-based China Resources Land Limited, the tower will have almost 1.1 million sf, which includes a 377-room Grand Hyatt hotel, 84 apartments, three restaurants, banquet space, and a spa and fitness center.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brooklyn's tallest building reaches 514 feet
With the Brooklyner now topped off, the 514-foot-high apartment tower is Brooklyn's tallest building. Designed by New York-based Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects and developed by The Clarett Group, the soaring 51-story tower is constructed of cast-in-place concrete and clad with window walls and decorative metal panels.
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
RMJM has unveiled the design for the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is master planning in Istanbul, Turkey's Atasehir district, a new residential and business district. Set on a highly visible site that features panoramic views stretching from the Bosporus Strait in the west to the Sea of Marmara to the south, the 372,000-square-meter development includes a 60-story tower, 1,500 resi...
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Colonnade fixes setback problem in Brooklyn condo project
The New York firm Scarano Architects was brought in by the developers of Olive Park condominiums in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to bring the facility up to code after frame out was completed. The architects designed colonnades along the building's perimeter to create the 15-foot setback required by the New York City Planning Commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
U.S. firm designing massive Taiwan project
MulvannyG2 Architecture is designing one of Taipei, Taiwan's largest urban redevelopment projects. The Bellevue, Wash., firm is working with developer The Global Team Group to create Aquapearl, a mixed-use complex that's part of the Taipei government's "Good Looking Taipei 2010" initiative to spur redevelopment of the city's Songjian District.
| Aug 11, 2010
Recycled Pavers Elevate Rooftop Patio
The new three-story building at 3015 16th Street in Minot, N.D., houses the headquarters of building owner Investors Real Estate Trust (IRET), as well as ground-floor retail space and 71 rental apartments. The 215,000-sf mixed-use building occupies most of the small site, while parking takes up the remainder.
| Aug 11, 2010
Housing America's Heroes 7 Trends in the Design of Homes for the Military
Take a stroll through a new residential housing development at many U.S. military posts, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell it apart from a newer middle-class neighborhood in Anywhere, USA. And that's just the way the service branches want it. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines have all embarked on major housing upgrade programs in the past decade, creating a military housing construction boom.
| Aug 11, 2010
Loft Condo Conversion That's Outside the Box
Few people would have taken a look at a century-old cigar box factory with crumbling masonry and rotted wood beams and envisioned stylish loft condos, but Miles Development Partners did just that. And they made that vision a reality at Box Factory Lofts in historic Ybor City, Fla. Once the largest cigar box plant in the world, the Tampa Box Company produced boxes of many shapes and sizes, spec...
| Aug 11, 2010
World's tallest all-wood residential structure opens in London
At nine stories, the Stadthaus apartment complex in East London is the world’s tallest residential structure constructed entirely in timber and one of the tallest all-wood buildings on the planet. The tower’s structural system consists of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels pieced together to form load-bearing walls and floors. Even the elevator and stair shafts are constructed of prefabricated CLT.
