Boston University Mechanical Penthouse

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About the Project

Boston, MA

Working on a rooftop in the notoriously bad weather in Boston can be a challenging prospect. Add to that, the tight site conditions and high local labor cost convinced BU to use modular construction methods to build a mechanical penthouse for their dormitory. They were installing a high efficiency HVAC system on the roof of the dorm requiring a fire rated enclosure for the electrical controls. SafeSpace designed a mechanical electrical doghouse that is one hour fire rated and temperature controlled to protect their sensitive electrical equipment.

A third-party Engineer review and approved the design, taking into account the exposure of being on top of a six-story building near the ocean in Boston. The plans were stamped and submitted to the State for their blessing as well. This process assured that the prefab enclosure was constructed to meet the exact code requirements for this location and use.

Once delivered to the site, the unit was lifted onto the roof with a crane and set on a roof curb. The entire installation was complete in one day, ready to be turned over for the HVAC crew to complete their work.

The University benefited from the time and cost savings of prefab construction for this simple but important enclosure. SafeSpace Buildings was glad to help Boston University with their energy saving HVAC upgrade.