Ringling College of Art and Design Cunniffe Commons

Overview

To provide students with dining options, the new Cunniffe Commons is a two-story facility with seating for approximately 550 students inside, as well as outdoor terrace seating for up to 100 students. The facility has a full kitchen and offers a soup island, grille, teaching stations, bakery, deli and stations for vegetarian and allergen-safe diners.

HVAC systems include modular chilled water AHUs with VAV terminals. A dedicated dual-path AHU serves the dining hall along with a dedicated 100% outside air unit that provides preconditioned make-up air to the kitchen hoods.  Each of the hoods utilize independent demand control for exhaust / make-up air to optimize system performance and minimize energy costs. Both of the modular AHUs and associated terminal units utilize heating hot water supplied by high-efficiency boilers. The facility uses variable refrigerant flow systems for reservable dining spaces, offices, storage and IT/electrical equipment rooms. The VRF condensing units, as well as the kitchen refrigeration condensing units, are water cooled. Heat is rejected into the chilled water return loop resulting in higher operating efficiencies versus air cooled. The design accommodates the addition of a PV array. TLC’s energy model predicts an energy savings of 23.5% against a baseline building under ASHRAE 90.1-2010, without considering savings from renewable energy sources.

Features

The facility also includes infrastructure to support the addition of a future PV array.  Preliminary energy modeling of a proposed 3,700 square foot 51.4 kW array results in a potential energy generation of over 81,200 kWH/year. A 150 KW natural gas emergency generator provides power to protect food inventory, as well as life safety requirements. The building is provided with a cable television signal, security access control and CCTV, and digital signage.