COMPANY:
Contractor - Jake Marshall LLC, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Design Engineers - S.L. King, Atlanta, and Newcomb & Boyd, Atlanta

INSTALLATION:
(3) 900-ton Bell & Gossett chillers;
(1) 10,800-MBtuh plate heat exchanger;
(6) 450-ton cooling towers; and
(1) Johnson Controls Metasys system

COMPLETION: Completed

CUSTOMER: BlueCross BlueShield Tennessee (BCBST), Chattanooga, Tenn.

OBJECTIVE: To build the new headquarters with health and wellness incorporated in every aspect, and to meet LEED Gold certification standards.

DESCRIPTION: BCBST’s 10 buildings spread across Chattanooga were old and becoming less efficient with each passing year. The new complex provides working space for 4,500 employees and focuses on health in every way. The ventilation system is no exception. The raised floor system supplies air at the breathing zone, which is cleaner because it has not had a chance to mix with particulates throughout the office. BCBST specified ventilation rates 30 percent higher than required by code and used materials with low-VOC levels to reduce emissions, helping to safeguard occupant health. Low pressure distribution of the underfloor air distribution system and high-efficiency pumps and motors on the HVAC system reduce carbon impacts and keep energy use low. The buildings and RTUs contain CO2 sensors; if levels begin to rise, environmental controls are automatically adjusted by the Johnson Controls Metasys system.

Publication date: 04/18/2011