An Austin Icon
The Austin American Statesman has been reporting news to citizens of the Austin area since 1871. Additionally, it prints and distributes daily editions of the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and Los Angeles Times. The newspaper ranks 60th in the country with a circulation of over 130,000.
News Room HVAC Replacement and Electrical Power Upgrades
The aging HVAC system serving the News Room was in need of replacement. The system had fallen into disrepair, was outdated, and energy inefficient. Additionally, the news room operations required electrical power upgrades to serve over 160 workstations.
The problem was that the news room operations could not relocate and of course, could not cease operation during the renovations.
The Show Must Go On
The Stateman turned to Goodwin Engineering to develop a solution for replacing the news room air conditioning system and upgrade its power distribution while accommodating the 24 hour/7 days a week news room operations. Goodwin developed a design which included an entire intermediate level of scaffolding and temporary flooring above the news room. This allowed the Statesman staff to continue work beneath the structure while contractors removed the ceiling and replaced ductwork above. Goodwin designed energy efficient variable air volume (VAV) air handling replacement units and designed temporary air conditioning to serve the news room and during replacement of the air conditioning system.
Lighting was temporarily suspended during the operation and new electrical power was designed to upgrade workstations beneath in phases.
…and More
Goodwin has tackled various other projects for the Statesman, including renovations in the mail room, facsimile upgrades in the New York Times distribution center, and sound abatement in the executive conference room.
Goodwin’s contributions did not make headlines, but assured that Austin premier newspaper was able to continue business as usual.