Argentina. Estudio GF Instalaciones is in charge of renovating the air conditioning system in the Honorable Senate of the Argentine Nation. A project that seeks to improve performance and comfort levels, energy savings, as well as recover the façade of the emblematic building.
Both the first and second systems, out of a total of ten that have been budgeted for this work, have been in operation since the first days of last July, which has improved comfort in various offices and has managed to clear the facades.
The latter is a very noticeable change, since previously they looked less aesthetic due to the external units corresponding to mini splits and other systems that faced the street from the windows.
This means that this renovation project also recovers part of the architectural value, since the work is located in the Senator Alfredo L. Palacios Building, in front of the Plaza del Congreso (in the Monserrat neighborhood in Buenos Aires), which makes this building a point of great tourist, media and historical interest for the country.
Therefore, from the magazine ACR Latin America we interviewed Nahuel González Feilberg, managing partner of Estudio FG Instalaciones and in charge of the work. To tell us the details of this installation.
Interview with Estudio FG Instalaciones
ACR: Please tell us how you win this tender and what the overall scope of this tender is.
Nahuel: we applied for the tender in November last year (2021) and started working on the building the first days of March, it was a simple process and we started working immediately.
The project in general consists of the replacement of the existing systems, cold / heat, which were obsolete equipment and did not give the best performance to the place, such as Splits 1 to 1 and Rooftop equipment. This taking into consideration that the location is a building with ancient architecture.
Therefore, a VRF system was considered to improve consumption performance, added to the other benefits of this system, such as removing equipment that was visible from the façade.
ACR: How much equipment does this new system consist of?
Nahuel: It consists of a total of 10 systems with 16 condensers and 255 indoor units, with G4 filters for indoor air quality. That they have scope for the first, second and third floors of the annex of the Senate of the Nation. This system will produce around 500 tons of refrigeration.
ACR: What were the site conditions like before the installation started?
Nahuel: We had to remove all the previous units and replace the electrical part, the pipes and the condensate drains of the machines. In short, to make everything new, because the objective of the Senate was to remove from the entire façade and the internal courtyards the condensers of the mini Split equipment.
A detail of this is that now all the condensers are housed in the first basement, a space that is away from the work activity that takes place in the building, which also reduces the noise level.
This is a point in favor of this renovation because it gives a favor to a façade that is historical. It is also worth mentioning that previously the indoor units drained freely on the street. Then all that is over, while improving performance and electricity consumption, which is fundamental.
ACR: What is the level of energy efficiency achieved with this new facility?
Nahuel: The level of energy efficiency cannot yet be fully calculated, as the 10 systems have not yet been implemented. Only at that time can you have the real value of how much consumption was lowered and how it was improved. But if we take into account the deterioration of the previous devices and that some were more than 15 years old, we can venture to believe that electricity consumption will fall a lot.
ACR. Apart from renovating obsolete systems, improving the façade and reducing energy consumption, what other benefits does this installation bring to the Senate?
Nahuel: Have a better performance in the equipment, because they have more efficiency in their operation. It should also be added that there were changes in the drainage piping systems, which improve the health levels of these systems.
In that order of ideas, another advantage is that now the Senate will have a central control system of all the units, with which it will have the automation of the air conditioning in the building. And all the systems already have centralized controls, the comfort temperature of the entire building can be programmed for winter and summer, avoiding that, for example, in each office individually greater energy costs are incurred or that the systems are left on when there is no activity.
On the other hand, the maintenance work is also facilitated, since the condensers are located in a single point of greater access, which also allows to make it simpler to clean filters and control the operation of the system. This translates into a reduction in maintenance needs, yes, every month the filters must be controlled, but it will only be necessary once a year to do software analysis.
ACR. Why were Samsung-branded VRF systems chosen?
Nahuel: First because it is a very good brand, with equipment they are of excellent quality. Secondly, because in Argentina we are living a complicated process with imports and Samsung had stock in our country, so we could have immediate delivery.
Thirdly, there is the technical support provided by this brand and fourthly, commercial management. Samsung worked and promoted a lot the management of the equipment, which contributed strategically in this work to move forward.
In addition, it has an excellent after-sales service, because they go to the site, verify the installation and take care of the commissioning, previously verifying that the equipment is used in the correct way, including the dumping the indicated amount of refrigerant, which makes me feel very confident in this brand.
ACR. What will happen to the previous technology that was removed?
Nahuel: We just have to remove and inventory around 300 pieces of equipment that were installed, as they will be used to be reinstalled in other spaces. They will be a donor because some of these devices are new or still have a lifespan ahead of them.
The Senate's idea is to donate all functional equipment that is retired to non-profit institutions. We leave them in a warehouse and they take care of the rest of the management.
ACR: What were the logistical difficulties and challenges of this facility?
Nahuel: Without a doubt the structure of the building was complicated because it has very large beams, very high ceilings, it is an architectural challenge. Another thing that at the beginning cost us a lot, was to comply with what the inspectors asked us, but we also managed to adapt to the needs, we understood how it was the way they needed the installation to take place and we articulated that to our own way of working, so now everything is more harmonious and fluid.
ACR: When will this installation be completed?
Nahuel: We have a set completion date of mid-December of this year (2022). However, there was an addition because they really liked the result of removing the façade equipment from the first and second floors, which will also be done on the third floor, so they asked us to remove other devices from the mezzanine. So the new project schedule could take until the end of January 2023.
