Empire State Building, New York, NY
Creating a comfortable climate for tourists enjoying one of New York's celebrated attractions
Install Location: Empire State Building, New York, NY
Parties Involved: ICP, Solaira
Application: Commercial Heating
Products Used: Solaira Alpha Series, Industrial, Solaira Omnis Control
Background
The Empire State Trust embarked on a plan to enhance the visitor experience in one of the most visited, iconic attractions in New York city, the Empire State Building. The proposal was to include radiant infrared heaters on the outdoor perimeter of the 86th floor observation deck to improve visitor comfort during the colder months of the year.
Challenges
The historical building provided numerous physical and mechanical challenges but nothing more difficult than engineering a heating system in a technically challenging outdoor environment. The perimeter observation deck is 86 stories above street level, fully exposed to severe weather and climate conditions. The objective was to mount the heaters high enough to clear the observation deck windows. The team also wanted the ability to control heater output based on outdoor temperature, operational hours, and control individual or multiple heaters. The final requirement was to locate a product that architecturally amalgamated within the rigid demands of a historic structure.
Empire State Building, New York, NY
Solution
The engineering team devised a plan to utilize high efficiency, radiant heaters that heat people and objects with limited heat loss due to windy conditions. The team reviewed several radiant heating products for performance, exposure, and wind load testing and selected Solaira heaters to be tested on the East side of the building. The test pilot objectives were to validate comfort heat calculation performance in the difficult outdoor environment. The team also wanted to test Solaira Omnis Controls and ability to integrate into their building management systems. Testing proceeded during the winter of 2016 and found an estimated +17°F - +20°F was achieved. Testing validated the engineering team’s hypothesis, and the project was approved for installation on all four sides of observation deck.
Solaira, Industrial Series H3 Heater
Conclusion
The authorized Solaira Alpha heater (CSA/UL industrial configuration) is a standard production, 6063 aircraft aluminum fixtures with stainless steel assembly components in RAL9006 antique grey with a custom silver reflector package to compliment the historic architectural requirements of the building structure. The Solaira Omnis Custom Control was utilized to control the connectivity to the buildings BMS System. Today millions of visitors enjoy added comfort on cold days, 86 stories above the streets of Manhattan thanks to Solaira heating systems.
Products Used
Industrial Series Radiant Heater
Alpha Series Radiant Heater
Omnis Custom Controls
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