Providence-St. Mel, a prestigious K-12 school located on Chicago's West Side, was built in the 1920s. The Archdiocese of Chicago closed the school's doors in 1978 due to the prohibitive cost of upkeep. Later that same year, principal Paul Adams reopened the school as an independent, private institution. Adams, who has the vision to offer a year-round curriculum at the school, recognized that the aging building's HVAC system would need to be updated. Adams engaged TMI to design and build a system that will create an air conditioned environment for the entire five-story, 65,000-sq-ft school.
Because Providence-St. Mel relies mainly on donations for its operating budget, the system upgrade must be done as economically as possible. TMI's relationship with Adams dates back 15 years, but because of budget constraints, TMI originally only provided advice and explained system functions to Adams, chief engineer Jack McGrath, and the maintenance crew.