The Hotel Wilshire, Los Angeles
RETROFIT TEAM
Architect: Killefer Flammang Architects, Los Angeles, www.kfarchitects.com
General Contractor: R.D. Olson Construction, Irvine, Calif., www.rdolson.com
HVAC Engineer: Creative Engineering Group, Canoga Park, Calif., www.c-e-g.com
HVAC Contractor: Sirius Mechanical Inc., Moreno Valley, Calif., siriusmechanical.com
MATERIALS
A Variable Refrigerant Flow zoning system was installed in the building. Its two-pipe system delivers simultaneous cooling and heating. Thirteen condensers (seven total systems) operate at mostly partial load and generate a maximum of 63 decibels at full throttle.
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Electric U.S. Cooling & Heating Division, www.mehvac.com
THE RETROFIT
Located in the Miracle Mile between Beverly Hills and Hollywood, The Hotel Wilshire is a luxury 74-room boutique hotel created from a 1950s 6-story medical office building.
Olson Construction started by taking the building down to its original concrete frame; reinforcing it structurally; adding a roof deck with pool; and converting the shell into 55 guest rooms, 19 suites (including one rooftop penthouse suite) and common areas.
“For our goal of LEED Silver for The Hotel Wilshire, we wanted the highest number of energy-performance credits,” explains Christine Cho, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Killefer Flammang Architects’ chief architect for LEED certification and sustainable design. “We viewed the selection of the Mitsubishi Electric VRF zoning system as a good way to realize energy savings and earn key LEED credits, especially in the Energy & Atmosphere section.”
Cho adds energy modeling predicts the building will use 17 percent less energy and have a cost savings of 19 percent when compared to a hotel that meets the Title 24 minimum requirements.