COMPANY: Comfort-Air Engineering, San Antonio

INSTALLATION: DuctSox® fabric ductwork and Carrier split systems with Puron®

COMPLETION: Completed

CUSTOMER: O’Neill Conrad Opplet Architects Inc.

OBJECTIVE: Convert a 1940s warehouse into a green, sustainable office headquarters.

DESCRIPTION: When designing its new headquarters, O’Neill Conrad Oppelt (OCO) Architects Inc. were concerned with preserving the 1940s warehouse’s raw, industrial appearance while also providing indoor air comfort. Although the architectural firm specified Sedona DuctSox ductwork, the former sheet metal shop presented the HVAC contractors from Comfort-Air Engineering, San Antonio, with 5,200 square feet of space that needed to meet 21st century standards environmentally as well as aesthetically.

Supplying the duct and complying with OCO’s green building mission are four high-efficiency Carrier Affinity Series split systems that have two-stage compressors and use Puron® refrigerant. The air handlers are located on an open mezzanine making each unit approximately the same height as the fabric duct run helping reduce materials cost. The ductwork is hung on new 3x1 hanging system.

“If architects specify a product like fabric duct for their very own offices, it’s a pretty good indication that fabric duct has become a viable part of the HVAC industry.”
- Scott Freund, Comfort-Air Engineering

Publication date: 09/17/2007