Project Files: Warehouse to Studio
INSTALLATION: Temporary air conditioning and dehumidification system for 25,000-square-foot warehouse
COMPLETION: October 2010
CUSTOMER: HAR-CON Mechanical Contractors (Houston) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
OBJECTIVE: To maintain temperatures inside an unfinished, uninsulated warehouse at 68-76°F with 50-55 percent humidity while keeping air from blowing directly onto the artist’s work area.
DESCRIPTION: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston needed to transform a warehouse into a studio for internationally-acclaimed Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The studio required a suitable environment for Guo-Qiang’s artwork. Aggreko provided a system that included a 1,000 kVA generator, a 200-ton chiller, a 10,000-cfm desiccant dehumidifier, four air handlers, and a 500-gpm pump. The 200-ton air-cooled chiller supplied 40°F water to four air handlers. One air handler provided fresh air and positive pressure for the facility while the remaining three re-circulated conditioned air within the warehouse. A 24/7 monitoring system prevented temperatures and relative humidity from climbing outside the required range. The final installation included approximately 300 feet of flexible duct running around the inside perimeter of the warehouse at a height of around 30 feet.
“Without the right temperature and relative humidity levels, the rice paper canvas could have been compromised and gunpowder could not have been burned safely or successfully.”
- LeRoy Green, technical specialist, Aggreko North America
Publication date: 11/15/2010
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