The owners of 1845 Walnut Street in Philadelphia were presented with a challenge not uncommon to many building owners. They had a 32-yr-old building with a cooling plant the same age. The chillers were still in good condition. However, the bigger concern was the CFC refrigerant they used. As further motivation to re-examine the system, the local steam utility had a rebate program that would help with the initial cost of new equipment.
The building, owned by Frankel Enterprises, is the only office tower located on the prestigious Rittenhouse Square in the Center City section of Philadelphia. It is a 352,000-sq-ft building with 25 floors. The first five floors are comprised of a parking garage with mechanical space in the center of each floor. Everything above the fifth floor is professional office space.