Griswold Controls

David Braley Athletic Centre, McMaster University

Griswold Controls Has the Inside Track at McMaster University

The David Braley Athletic Centre, located on the campus of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the largest fitness centres at any Canadian university. The athletic complex includes a double gymnasium, indoor 200- meter track, four squash courts, multipurpose studios for karate, yoga, dance and tai chi, and one of the only in-ground hydrotherapy pools in the country.

In August of 2006 David Braley, a Hamilton businessman, owner of the Canadian Football League’s B.C. Lions, and a former McMaster student-athlete, donated $5 million for the recreation centre.

Commissioning was completed in the fall of 2006, and the centre’s first summer of operation was in 2007.

The building was originally specified with conventional control and balancing valves, but Kildonan Energy Products, the local Griswold Controls sales representative, working with University personnel and the construction/design team changed the air handler chilled water valves to Griswold Controls pressure independent control valves.

There are 11 valves, (10) PIC-V® and (1) MVP™ pressure independent control valves for the building, with total peak chilled water flow rate at about 300gpm. The coils were selected to provide a chilled water .T of 10º C (18º F). The building connects to the central plant’s chilled water supply and return lines, and contains variable speed chilled water booster pumps that only run if the mains’differential cannot satisfy the building.

Performance of the pressure independent control valves has been excellent. .T across the athletic centre has been as high as 17º C (31º F) with all systems meeting set point. As an example of the system’s effectiveness, one cool morning in September of ’07 the building was running with 24gpm of chilled water, less than 10% of the design flow. With the exceptional control provided by the Griswold Controls valves, chilled water flow requirements are very low and the booster pumps rarely, if ever, need to run.

McMaster University’s facility services personnel, under the supervision of Chief Operating Engineer Joe Emberson, are diligently dedicated to achieving ideal comfort performance combined with reduced energy consumption from the campus chilled water system. Griswold Controls’ pressure independent valves are proving to be an invaluable resource toward achieving those objectives.