Discovery Museum

Capital Improvement, Bridgeport, CT

The Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, CT provides interactive displays for children to expand there imagination and understanding of how things work.

The HVAC systems for the museum were outdated, did not meet the needs of the facility and were extremely inefficient. Being a non-profit organization, the museum's budget for the project was limited to funds available from a Department of Economic Development (DECD) Grant. Since the client's focus was energy conservation, Aztech Engineers considered what would maximize energy savings with minimal initial investment. The existing HVAC system was a duel duct (hot and cold ducts) mixing system, that if operating correctly, is good for control but horrible for operating expenses. Aztech's design included converting this system into a variable air volume system while maintaining the existing air handling unit in the basement as well as upgrading the automatic temperature controls system from pneumatic to DDC (direct digital). Control and air quality were improved, while reducing energy consumption and operating costs.

The funds for the project were limited but the clients wish list was long. Aztech Engineers assisted by working with the cost estimator and the client in the preliminary stages to establish priorities and allocate costs to determine what could be fit into the project. Through the use of alternates some lower priority items were kept on the table in case funds were available later, during the bidding process.

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