Historic building renovation and retrofit - Articles

Guest Column

From Stable to Suds: HVAC Helps Bring a 140-Year-Old Building Back to Life

Socius Beer Collective transforms a near-condemned stable into a thriving brewery

Nancy Grimm

November 16, 2025

Brewers sweat the details — but not the heat — thanks to a system that adjusts comfort from the tanks to the taps.

Small Town with Big Electrification Goals

Dan Vastyan

July 7, 2024

The building was just too small, the heating system was uncomfortable and inefficient and cooling was only provided in a few specific areas, making the school a miserable place to be. But, a high-tech restoration changes all that.

Reduce, Reuse, Restore: Taking a Historic Hospital to an HVAC-Accommodating Hotel

After sitting vacant for decades, Cook County Hospital now provides an HVAC-friendly experience to hotel guests

Hannah Belloli-Oster

June 13, 2024

Armstrong recently contributed to a historically important HVAC retrofit when the historic Cook Country hospital in Chicago, Illinois was converted into two hotels: a Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.

Air Handlers Still at the Heart of HVAC

From protecting presidential documents to keeping NASCAR fans cool, air handlers play an important role with HVAC systems

Dylan Kurt

May 21, 2024

New technology has made air handlers more efficient and much quieter, and when paired with heat pumps, a great all-electric and sustainable option.

Project Files: Episode 65 — Zero-Emission Hydronic Heat at Brooklyn Brownstone

A DIY demo turned into the opportunity to install Taco’s System M and go all-electric

Maria Taylor

November 17, 2023

The home now has a 3.9 kW solar array that offsets nearly 100% of the System M and grid power supplied from the clean-sourced ConEd program — meaning that the house has zero emission heating, cooling, and hot water.

Project Files: Episode 64 — Flame-Free Retrofit at Smithsonian Vault

RLS press fittings joined HVACR lines in museum’s cold storage

Maria Taylor

November 3, 2023

Press fittings took flame out of the equation in an HVAC project conducted near fragile books from the Middle Ages.

Trane Advances Sustainability at Georgia Historic Site

August 10, 2023

Since it acquired the 182-year-old Mimosa Hall in 2017, Roswell has sought to make it a more energy-efficient facility.

E.L. Pruitt Blends Old Tech with New for Springfield Coliseum HVAC

Sheet metal contractor E.L. Pruitt is modernizing an iconic brick and limestone amphitheater built in 1901

Austin Keating

July 31, 2023

With double wall spiral duct from Lindab A.C. Manufacturing at standard size lengths of 4, 6 and 10 feet, E.L. Pruitt was able work with the design of the oval building.

Project Files: Episode 58 — HVAC Treatment Keeps Art Museum Cool

ThermaClear treatment solution shows long-term energy savings, improved IAQ at Phoenix Art Museum

Maria Taylor

April 11, 2023

The city of Phoenix sought an energy-efficient HVAC solution that would restore Phoenix Art Museum’s lost efficiency and improve the indoor climate for the museum’s specialized environment while also contributing to the city’s energy conservation goals.

Historic Preservation Tax Credits Fund VRF Retrofit for High-Rise

900 on Lee Elevates West Virginia Capital

Dan Vastyan

January 26, 2023

One of the tallest buildings in Charleston was originally a division of Huntington National Bank. AB Contracting Inc. acquired the 17-story building in April of 2021 and immediately began creating a modern, mixed use-space in the circa-1960 high-rise.