Diffusers star in Five Points Plaza's pursuit of more efficiency in tight spaces
Leaking radiant panel valves had become an expensive maintenance problem for the Five Points Plaza building in Atlanta. Replacing the radiant ceiling system with a vav system could solve that problem, but the only available ductwork was the existing air conditioned ventilation system. The ductwork could not be enlarged due to structural constraints and, as a result, the vav terminals had to be low pressure. Therma-Fuser(tm) vav diffusers by Acutherm (New York) filled that need and, in addition, gave the building individual temperature control and a system with low maintenance.
When the 17-story, 129,000-sq-ft building was built in 1962, it was a prestigious office building in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and it possessed a state-of-the-art hvac system for that time. Floors 1 through 17 were served by two centrifugal chillers; two hot water boilers; dual pumps for chilled, hot, and condensed water; a central station AHU; and a central return air fan - all located in a penthouse equipment room.