Hermanson Company is the design-build HVAC contractor for the new 44-storey The Mark tower at Fifth and Columbia in downtown Seattle. This landmark structure consists of a nine-level garage (below and above grade), the SLS Seattle Hotel on levels 2-16, and 26 floors of office space with two levels of mechanical penthouses.
Hermanson first began work on the design for HVAC systems at The Mark in 2008, although because of economic conditions, construction did not start until 2015. Through the years, system designs went through several iterations of design, review, and budgeting before the final system was selected. Initial designs were for a chilled water / floor-by-floor system typical of high-rise office buildings for the entire structure.
The integration of a luxury hotel on 15 floors of the original office tower inspired exploration and budgeting of both air-cooled and water-cooled VRF systems, but these were ultimately dismissed because of their first cost impacts. Additionally, the inclusion of the complete gut and replacement of HVAC systems in the adjacent historic Methodist Church to develop conference and restaurant space serving the hotel added another level of challenge, because it meant finding systems that serve the purpose and fit within the historic structure.
The final HVAC systems are a blend: a chilled water / floor-by-floor system serves AC units for office floors and fan coils for the hotel, and a condenser water system with a riser runs the full height of the building for heat pumps in the Hotel Conference Center and for 24×7 loads throughout the building, as well as serving a water-cooled emergency generator located
in the basement.
The project targets LEED Gold and Hermanson Company has provided full HVAC systems design and BIM / MEP co-ordination for the entire project.
