Johnson Controls held a grand opening for its new Advanced Development & Engineering Center in York County, PA, introducing the complex to the media and federal, state, and local dignitaries.

Located in the Stonebridge Business Center, 5000 Renaissance Drive, New Freedom, PA, the complex includes a 250,000-sq-ft testing lab and support facility, which consolidates testing facilities from Johnson Controls’ existing campus located 15 miles north in York, PA. In addition, the complex features a 107,000-sq-ft engineering office building.

“Our customers expect the best, and we will continue to deliver the best industry-leading HVACR equipment, such as our new YORK YZ chiller,” said Bill Jackson, president, Global Products, Johnson Controls. “This world-class facility enables us to advance performance levels for customers, thanks to more than 400 dedicated and driven employees, as well as business partners in the York County community.”

The grand opening on April 23 included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and comments from project stakeholders, followed by guided tours of the facility.

Jacobs, a global company that served as the project architect, is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the York County complex.

The testing lab rises to 60 feet in some areas to accommodate YORK brand chillers, including the new YZ chiller, and YORK air handling units. The facility features over 20 labs, including air-cooled and water-cooled, acoustic, power electronics, compressor, air handling units, and various other labs to spur innovation. The facility also houses a training center for VRF, chiller, and other products and technologies.

The complex is a joint venture between McCarthy Building Companies Inc. (St. Louis), PJ Dick (Pittsburgh), and Stewart & Tate Construction (York). Seventy-five percent of the construction work was completed by Pennsylvania firms, and 1,869 workers completed safety orientation on site, resulting in zero lost-time injuries.

“As a one-of-a-kind, large-scale, advanced development and engineering lab facility, the Johnson Controls project had a number of unique construction challenges,” said Ryan Molen, LEED BD+C, Project Director-Advanced Technology & Manufacturing, McCarthy Building Companies Inc. “In addition to balancing flexibility in systems and building components for technologies that are rapidly changing and advancing in complexity, McCarthy was focused on driving efficiencies in cost and schedule.”

To see a video of the grand opening, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/buildings/campaign/jadec.