Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, A Kimpton Property
Retrofit Team
Mechanical system designer: Exp (formerly X-nth), San Diego
Mechanical contractor: Tracey Mechanical Inc., Newtown Square, Pa.
Manufacturer’s representative: Sass, Moore & Associates, Woodbury, N.J.
Materials
The hotel renovation included replacement of the property’s old boiler water heater with a water-source heat-pump system. Encompassing all guestrooms, meeting and commercial spaces, common areas and the Hotel Palomar’s restaurant, the new 210-ton mechanical system design incorporated more than 300 heat-pump units, including 293 horizontal Tranquility 20 Single-Stage (TS) Series units and eight Tranquility Vertical Stack (TRM) Series units.
“These units offered an innovative solution for the project, particularly for the guestrooms, in which individual, quiet control of the heating and cooling system was important,” explains Todd Sorbo, an Exp principal.
“Retrofitting a historic building into a modern hotel has its challenges,” notes Jim Kohler, project manager with Tracey Mechanical. “But the new heat-pump system that we put into place was a good fit for the needs of the hotel, especially in regard to improving energy efficiency while needing to work within the constraints of an existing and historically protected infrastructure.”
Each guestroom in the hotel was equipped with a smart digital thermostat that communicates to a control board in the in-room unit to sense occupancy. If a room remains unoccupied for so many hours, the thermostat will shut off the pumps to reduce unnecessary energy usage. That, in combination with the highly efficient MERV-11 filters and the chemical-free water-treatment system in the units, helps the hotel achieve optimal energy performance.
“For many hotels, HVAC can be the No. 1 issue with inefficiencies,” says Rod Temistocle, area director of engineering for Kimpton Hotels. “With the units we currently have in place, Hotel Palomar has seen a significant reduction in energy use.”
Water-source heat-pump manufacturer: ClimateMaster
The Retrofit
Among myriad practices to reduce waste, minimize toxins and conserve resources across all business functions, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants maintains its own set of EarthCare green-building guidelines, including employing energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems. Additionally committed to “maintaining substantive, meaningful goals for energy reduction,” the company has also examined ways in which to elevate energy efficiency across its historic building properties.
This was recently reflected in the company’s transformation of the Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, which had become antiquated in its mechanical operations and overall energy efficiency. The 156,650-square-foot, 25-floor Art Deco hotel was originally constructed in 1929 and housed an architect’s office, thus earning it the title of “Architect’s Building.” Following its acquisition by Kimpton in 2008 and transition into the boutique hotel it is today, the building was slated for an extensive renovation that included several initiatives to vastly improve the energy efficiency and overall sustainability of the property.
Typical to a historic renovation of this scope, the mechanical and construction teams enlisted by Kimpton management were faced with some notable challenges, including working within the tight constraints of the bustling City Center location of the property. The project demanded creativity, ingenuity and the use of high-quality, reliable products and systems, to achieve an ultimate goal of earning LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.
In addition to its water-source heat-pump system, the property installed more energy-efficient, double-paned windows; replaced toilets and sinks with low-flow systems; changed all lighting to CFL and LED bulbs; and used recycled and sustainable materials.