The construction or renovation of a commercial building in Whitney requires the correct choice of HVAC design to ensure comfort, efficiency, and, most importantly, air quality. Because every type of commercial building demands something unique from its HVAC system, the right solution is extremely variable and tailored to the specific situation. An example: a retail space could demand an entirely different solution from something like a law office, a doctor's office, or a college classroom. Pitkin County must ensure the correct design in every situation. An office building can require a very different HVAC system from a residential structure of comparable size and number of occupants. Indeed, many office spaces need a system that allows for not just zoning but also a certain amount of personalization, since the kinds of business conducted within a building can range across a wide spectrum, both in the kind of work done by virtue of being a certain type of business and in the kind of business as a certain type of office space. And all these factors can personalize the climate-control conundrum—business personnel, local codes, and sustainability concerns will also have a say.
The design of overall HVAC systems must pay special attention to the intricate details of food refrigeration and kitchen exhaust airflow and airflow makeup. Why is this so? Because the safe and comfortable environment for the customer and staff dictates the kind of restaurant and kitchen performance that can ensure an efficient space, a "good enough" environment for the people who use that space, and a place where health and food safety are paramount. Meanwhile, hotel HVAC systems—many of which are now controlled by building automation systems—must provide nine kinds of heating, cooling, and conditioned ventilation at the same time. In high-end hotels, good climate control, almost with a kind of electronic feng shui, is the secret to guest satisfaction.
Another area of HVAC design where challenges are apparent is industrial facilities. These are not typically controlled environments, so the design team must account for the potential that the workers will encounter a range of conditions. A robust and effective ventilation system is absolutely paramount, not just for worker comfort but also for ensuring worker safety. The contaminants that can be generated by industrial processes or certain kinds of specialized equipment must be ventilated effectively. And even when a facility doesn't have any dangerous processes going on, it will have all sorts of powerful dirty equipment that by its nature will generate a lot of heat, a lot of exhaust, and a lot of opportunity for air quality problems. Ventilating those spaces effectively and high-efficiency filtered air delivering to the clean areas without creating a pressure drop that causes trouble for the dirty airflow in the dirty area—these are just on the surface some pretty serious challenges.