Heavy HVAC Units Placed Into Chicago School Using Custom-Made Roof Hatch

Records are meant to be broken, but shattering longstanding marks relating to excessive temperatures is agonizing. That crisis faced Chicago in late August last year, when temperatures reached 100 degrees for the first time in more than a decade and the city tied a record for the warmest heat index in recorded history. 

The temperature at O’Hare Airport reached 100 degrees on August 24 in the midst of the multi-day heat wave, tying a record that was set in 1947. Chicago knows all too well how extreme heat can lead to weather-related deaths. In 1995, more than 700 people in the Windy City died during a heatwave.

The intense heat overcame more than the city’s residents. It also took a toll on air conditioning equipment at Roberto Clemente Community Academy, a high school that enrolls more than 700 students in grades 9-12. Portable cooling units were not working properly at school and were removed from classrooms. “Keeping students and staff safe, healthy, cool and comfortable this week is our number one priority,” the district stated in a statement released to the media. 

Earlier this year, the district installed a permanent solution. Blackhawk HVAC completed the difficult and complex task of installing two 750-ton air conditioning chillers at the eight-story structure by creating an opening in the roof. The project took nearly 10 hours to remove existing equipment and install the new mechanicals.

Finding a Solution

While there are different methods for installing large and heavy mechanical pieces, Rich LaCien of Blackhawk hatched a plan to go through an opening in the roof. 

“The mechanical general contractor and I came up with the concept to put a hole in the roof,” LaCien says. “The engineers and owners liked the idea.”

While it is an unusual solution, LaCien believes the benefits outweighed other options. Chillers for the school — which was built in 1974 — had failed previously. In that instance, teams installed new equipment by entering the building after removing a sidewall.

“It was bricked in, and in 2010 they needed a different piece of equipment, so they took it apart and put it back together again,” LaCien notes. “It seemed like a waste of time and money to keep opening up the sidewall every time they needed new mechanical equipment.”

LaCien says the solution with the roof hatch will ultimately save money for the school district, as opposed to demolishing and restoring the wall. “It costs between $40,000 and $60,000 every time you do that,” LaCien says. “This way the solution is fixed once, and you don’t have to worry about it again.”

Special Access Hatch

Blackhawk’s team cut through the roof and removed concrete to establish room for the roof hatch, which was manufactured by BILCO. The customized hatch measures 9 feet, 8 inches by 18 feet, 3 inches. 

The large hatches are commonly used for the removal and installation of large and heavy equipment that is used in heating and air conditioning. They are also frequently used to install oversized radiology equipment and other devices in medical buildings.

“We built a 2-foot curb and installed a temporary cap after we removed the concrete,” LaCien says. “We also put a pitch on the cap. The hatch will only be used for mechanical upgrades.”

LaCien employed the services of a 550-ton crane to remove and install the units. While the cooling capacity of each unit is 750 tons, each unit weighs about 12 tons. Workers operating the crane expertly hoisted the air conditioning units high above the hatch before carefully lowering them into the opening. 

With the hatch in place, future replacement projects of HVAC equipment will be much easier. The hatches are engineered with compression spring operators to provide smooth, easy one-hand operation regardless of size. They also include automatic hold-open arms that lock covers in the open position, and a positive latching mechanism to maintain building security. Corrosion-resistant construction will lead to years of dependable service. Architectural Building Solutions, BILCO’s manufacturers’ representative in the area, assisted Blackhawk with procuring the hatch.

“BILCO met and exceeded my expectation with the roof hatch,” LaCien says. “I was impressed with the quality. I can be very critical of products, but we set it, squared it, set the bolts and it was done. There was no messing around with the latch or any part of the hatch.”

Problem Solved

LaCien, who has been in the HVAC industry for decades, believes the solution with the roof hatch will be beneficial in other projects as well. 

“If I come across another project like this, we’re going through the roof with the opening and the roof hatch,” he says. “We’re not putting brick and louvers back in. It’s spending too much money every time you do that. It will pay for itself just the second time that it’s used. The hatch will only be used for mechanical upgrades, and it’s a worthwhile investment for the district.”

TEAM

Installing Contractor: Blackhawk HVAC, Mokena, Illinois

MATERIALS

Roof Hatch: Custom Roof Hatch, BILCO, bilco.com