“Fifty percent humidification, in a glass box, in Alaska, raises the question of condensation. Reconciling the combined interior climate requirements and exterior climate extremes with a stunning architectural vision is an irresistible engineering challenge.”
Dean Eriksen, PE, LEED® AP
AEI project manager
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Anchorage Museum of History and Art Engineering the celebration of Alaska’s cultural heritage. Museum stewardship standards, preconditions for the return to Alaska of over 2,000 native artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution, require a constant humidity level of roughly 55%. David Chipperfield's striking design for the 70,000 sf expansion of Alaska's cultural center called for full-height windows. Anchorage's severe winter required strategies for supplemental perimeter heat to prevent condensation and frost on the exterior glazing. In addition to designing the mechanical systems to maintain precise humidity, air filtration, and temperature control in exhibit and storage areas, AEI devised a heating element configuration between the panes of exterior glass to radiate heat and prevent fogging with the rising warm air. Full-scale mockups and airflow models confirmed the system's capacity to prevent condensation. Pursuing LEED® Silver certification, the new addition will open in 2010.
Services: Mechanical, Electrical, Piping/Plumbing, Technology, Commissioning, Sustainability
Size: 70,000 sf
Location: Anchorage, AK
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects Kumin Associates Inc.
LEED® Status: LEED® Certified
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