The Woodbury County Courthouse was finished in 1918 and built out of Roman brick with granite and terra cotta trim elements. It is an almost perfectly square four-story structure with a 157-foot eight-story tower that features sculptural work over its doors. It’s regarded as one of the finest Prairie School Buildings in the United States and has also been declared a National Historic Landmark for it’s architecture. It was added to the NRHP in 1973 and became a designated NHL in 1996. Inside this building the floors are marble and there is metal grillwork in the northern entrance.
The Woodbury County Courthouse chiller replacement was a critical project for CW Suter to upgrade and replace the aging equipment. CW Suter had to overcome many obstacles throughout the project from limited space, extreme low temperatures, and building location. We used the most innovative technology to complete this project due to site constraints. With a cantilever beam rigging system, we successfully and efficiently replaced the chiller with only four inch clearance remaining vertically when entering the building.
Scope of work included:
- Replacing water-cooled chiller and adding air-cooled chiller and refrigeration piping
- Installing temporary protection of existing live fire protection system for server room below
- Replacing pumps and piping for water-cooled loop as well as adding piping for air-cooled chiller
- Reconfiguring existing controls integrated for new equipment installed
- Refurbishing cooling tower motor, fill material, and plates
- Replacing existing variable frequency drives (VFD’s) and adding new VFD’s
- Removing and reinstalling brick that is on the historical building
- Removing existing roof and adding structural support members for new air-cooled chiller outdoor unit
