The Edward T. Gignoux Federal Courthouse in Portland, Maine was originally constructed circa 1910 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and has undergone several major additions and renovations over the past 100+ years. It was the first federal courthouse in Maine and in 1974 was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is considered a GSA Legacy Property. RFS is the prime professional consultant leading a design team with extensive experience working on historic structures. The complicated HVAC and fire alarm replacement project is being implemented as part of the GSA’s Design Excellence Program.
The primary goals of the project are to upgrade the existing HVAC and fire alarm systems to meet current Codes and the GSA design and sustainability standards. The new HVAC systems are designed following the GSA’s Guiding Principles for Federal Buildings resulting in significant reductions in both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Although full electrification was not part of the design intent, the HVAC systems are thoughtfully designed to allow future electrification with minimal alterations to the new systems. The design strategies for both the HVAC and fire alarm systems required thoughtful and creative solutions in order to maintain the historic fabric of the building.
RFS developed a comprehensive construction phasing approach for the HVAC system replacement to enable the courthouse to maintain full operation during the three-year construction project. Phasing strategies included several temporary air handling systems utilizing a combination of existing, temporary and the new permanent distribution systems to maintain strict environmental controls in the courtrooms, judges’ chambers and support spaces. Similarly, the phased fire alarm replacement approach was developed in concert with the GSA’s fire protection engineer and local officials to ensure life safety systems were fully operational during the entire project.
Services
Mechanical
Electrical
Plumbing
Fire Protection
Structural
Metrics
75,000 sf
Architect
Schwartz/Silver Architects
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