| BOWLING GREEN, KY - Faced with many design challenges that could diminish future HVAC performance for the $26 million renovation of Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena, mechanical engineer, Don Greulich, started thinking “outside the box” for a cost-efficient solution.
Originally Greulich, president of of Kerr-Greulich Engineers Inc., plus design team co-members, Edward West, PE, director of WKU construction management services; and Tony Kleyer, vice president of project architecture firm, Louis & Henry, Louisville, considered ceiling-hung metal ductwork that would distribute air to the arena’s 10,000-capacity spectators as well as the basketball floor. The 42-year-old home of renowned WKU Hilltopper basketball had a previous design that was a heat-only system from mezzanine level air handlers. | |
When structural consultants proved the dome-shaped roof was already near load bearing capacity, Greulich was forced to look at alternatives such as lightweight fabric duct. Fabric duct not only proved to be 90 percent lighter than similar sized metal duct thus allowing the preferred ceiling hung air distribution, but it also saved the project $75,000 in materials while providing a more even air dispersion than metal duct with registers. “I think everybody thinks metal when they first approach air ducts, but fabric duct turned out to be the better solution regardless of weight, just because its linear diffusers disperse air much better than the traditional metal duct/register concept,” said Greulich, who had used fabric duct previously on several smaller projects.
Added , Louis & Henry’s Tony Kleyer: “By not adding weight to the roof, the fabric duct allowed us to do many other things that would have been impossible with the weight load of metal duct, such as adding catwalks and television platforms.”
Greulich specified TufTex™ fabric duct from DuctSox, Dubuque, Iowa. The 720 linear feet of duct is positioned 30 feet above the spectator section and 70 feet from the basketball floor. Through the facilitation efforts of manufacturer’s representative, R. L. Craig Company Inc., factory-engineers designed ductwork airflow featuring three linear diffusers.
To the delight of Louis & Henry Group’s Kleyer, the custom-colored “Hilltopper” red duct hangs aesthetically like a banner when not supplied with air.
Using fabric duct also added to the expediency of the project, which had to be completed by November’s first basketball game after the entire arena was gutted except for the floor and seating four months earlier. Fabric was installed in approximately two weeks while metal duct could have taken almost twice as long, according to Mike Kleinhenz, project manager, Hussung Mechanical Contractors.
Additional time and money was saved with fabric duct when the air distribution design needed a rerouting soon after installation to allow site lines to two large screen monitors and luxury skyboxes that were late add-ons to the arena’s design. Rerouting metal ductwork would have delayed the project an extra week or two versus the modification of fabric duct. Instead, Ductsox’s factory-engineered lateral and vertical changes that included eight 45-degree elbows and 18 tees—complete with factory-installed internal flow straightening devices--based on Hussung’s field measurements. The additional ductwork was completed with an estimated cost savings to the university of $10,000 versus metal duct, according to Greulich. |