The Providence Center, a Rhode Island nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization, has repurposed a 72,000-square-foot brick building that was once part of the Eagle Screw Co., founded in 1860, according to an article on the ACR News website.
It took a mechanical system retrofit to bring the 1875 building into the 21st century, the article said. Operating costs fell and comfort levels rose.
“These old brick buildings are solid and beautiful, but they sure don’t win any energy awards,” said Bob Pritchard, Providence Center director of facilities and projects. “We couldn’t keep the facility at a comfortable temperature in the winter and spent huge dollars attempting to do just that."
The work was split into two phases; a hydronic retrofit in late 2011 and a more invasive air-side upgrade in early 2013.