Case Study: University Residence Hall

Situation

A three-year-old, three-story residence hall at a university in the Southeast was plagued by continual high humidity. The school's engineering and cleaning staff were constantly dealing with the resulting problems, which included condensation and mold growing around the air-conditioning vents that was also beginning to affect the drywall in some areas of the 64-unit building. A previous assessment discovered that the problem was caused by a design flaw in the building's HVAC system. The university was fortunate to have caught the problem before the mold had made anyone sick, and was eager to remedy the problem quickly because of the potential liability it created. Due to the sensitive nature of the project and scheduling restrictions, the project was completed in only 4 days.

Analysis

The school's engineering staff needed to deal with the HVAC design flaw, but they called The Fresh Air Group to fully remediate any problems the high humidity had caused in the building. A third-party assessment firm, industrial hygienists who are experts in mold remediation, brought in infrared cameras and moisture meters to identify affected areas and determine the scope of work. Working with the schools' facility maintenance staff, we used graphical layouts to pinpoint areas needing cleaning, repair and re-painting.

Solution

The Fresh Air Group took the following steps to solve the client's problem:

• The work had to take place in the middle of the school year, when the building was occupied with students, so we planned it carefully and scheduled it all to take place over a single weekend.
• We brought in large desiccant, a portable unit stationed outside the building that uses the HVAC venting system to introduce dry air into the fresh air supply.
• We organized work crews to follow each other in shifts over extended hours each day to complete surface cleaning, drywall patching, and painting to match existing colors.
• We instructed our work crews to be sensitive to the residents and minimize disruption as much as possible. Rather than clearing out occupied spaces, we used plastic containment to protect students' belongings.
• When we finished the project, the environmental consultant retested the air quality and moisture levels to certify and warranty our work.
  

Testimonial

"I was very impressed with the speed at which The Fresh Air Group resolved our problem with condensation and mold around air-conditioning vents in a student residence. Although ideally, the work would have been done when all the students were gone, we had to move forward during a weekend break with some students still in the dorms. Despite having to work around people and the potential severity of the situation, everything was done quickly and smoothly and their Fresh Air Portal provided ongoing and immediate access to all the project information. Their speed, sensitivity and quality of work made the difference."

James R. Beasley, Senior Vice President and COO