1 (804) 501-0845 Oliver Hill Building on Capitol Square
The original building was constructed in the early 1900s. The project was designed for phased construction to allow for demolition and construction of the addition during the design of the historical structure renovation. The completed 130,000 sq foot building provides office space for a variety of state agencies. The design included chilled and hot water mechanical systems to support both the Oliver Hill Building and the adjacent Washington Building, with concealed, rooftop cooling towers. Work included design of variable air volume mechanical systems with water-side economizers, building automation system, fire protection system, and plumbing systems. Electrical work included design of an emergency generator to support both the Oliver Hill and Washington Buildings, as well as power distribution, lighting control, and fire alarm systems. Lighting design included performing photometric analyses to ensure sufficient light levels during normal and emergency operation. Special systems included data structured cabling, security, audio/visual, sound masking, and Capitol Police communications infrastructure.
Historic Project Challenges
The extensive renovation of the Oliver Hill building presented several challenges due to the existing building conditions and the need to preserve the historical elements. The original windows were re-furbished and re-used, but were not energy efficient due to the clear, single glazing. This challenge was overcome by designing linear supply diffusers into the ceiling area above each window to wash the window with conditioned air to offset heat gains/losses as well as prevent condensation from developing. Another unique characteristic of this historic building was the engineered design of concealed rooftop cooling towers that maintained cooling performance and efficiency. This was accomplished by designing faux sloped roofs that were open at the top and bottom to function as a cooling tower screen and maintain the historic façade of the building. This project also required special consideration to be given to lighting selection to match the style and period of the building architecture.