Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Benfield Elementary School
Henry Adams provided the MEP engineering design for the complete modernization of the 83,500 SF Benfield Elementary School. The main goal of the modernization was to address the building’s inadequacies. Previously, the school had too few classrooms, many classrooms lacked toilet rooms; and the administrative, health and guidance areas, multipurpose center and media center were undersized. To solve these problems, a large addition was added to the rear of the building to house physical education, foodservice, music and art/science components, as well as community use.
A new wing was added, connecting the front wing to the new large rear addition and housing Pre-K and K classrooms, special education classroom, and resource room.
The mechanical design was focused around replacing the building’s existing HVAC system in its entirety. A new central heating and cooling plant were provided in the new mechanical room, consisting of two gas fired hot water boilers and one air cooled chiller. Classroom air ventilators and window AC units were replaced with new hot water/chilled water coil unit ventilators. Ventilation air was introduced through wall grilles at the back of the units and relief air will be exhausted out by exhaust fans with common ductwork. The multi-purpose room was converted to a library and received an air handling unit with hot water heating coil and DX cooling coil. The new addition was provided with new air handling units served by the central heating and cooling plant. DDC controls were provided for the HVAC system.
The plumbing design includes sanitary, vent, water, and gas systems.
The electrical design includes power to new mechanical equipment, lighting voice/data, public address/intercommunication systems, electronic safety and security which is inclusive of access control, intrusion detection, and video surveillance. The school’s electrical service was upgraded in order to serve the new addition.
The building’s envelope and energy efficiency were improved through new windows, doors, and systemic improvements. A wet pipe sprinkler system was added to cover the entire school. The water service in the new mechanical room was sized to enable coverage to the new areas of the school.
Additional Information:
| Location | Severna Park, MD |
| Construction Value | $23,500,000 |
| Owner | Anne Arundel Public Schools |
| Architect | GWWO, Inc./Architects |