Daikin Helps Modernize and Transform Elementary School For Distraction-Free Learning

The Issue

Overby-Sheppard Elementary

Overby-Sheppard Elementary needed more than an HVAC upgrade, but with tight budgets and minimal state funding, it didn’t seem likely. The 40-year-old building needed a full overhaul to provide students with a healthier, distraction-free environment.

For over four years, Richmond City Council member, Ellen Robertson, had been pushing for $25 million in capital funds to start from the ground up on a new school. Unfortunately, only $4 million was allocated for the project. The school administration was determined to make the most of the $4 million earmarked for the Overby project. After several meetings with different architectural firms and initial estimates exceeding the amount allocated, Richmond Public Schools contacted Daikin to provide an estimate for the project.

The Solution

Working with OMNIA Partners to utilize the best public procurement practices, processes and
procedures, Daikin was able to get the best value on this project for Overby-Sheppard. The
Daikin Building Solutions Virginia team was selected as the project’s general contractor with
a promise to keep the project on time and budget. “I was unconvinced with how much work
could be done with $4 million but impressed with how Daikin has transformed the school,”
said Robertson.

The project required a long list of stakeholders to fully provide a solution to meet the school’s needs within their buget:

Thomas Kranz, Chief Operating Officer, Richmond Public Schools
Bobby Hathaway, Director of Facilities, Richmond Public Schools
Frank Boehling, TEC Mechanical & Fire Protection
Dennis Johnson, Lowman Electric
Arthur Mendez, Joseph’son General Contractors
Patrick Lloyd, ACES (Daikin’s Representative)
Louis Hite, ACES BAS Controls

The school’s HVAC system was a 40-year-old all electric system: inefficient and leaking cost. In addition to rising energy and maintenance costs of an aging system, the HVAC system created a learning environment that was distracting for students and teachers alike. The team turned to Daikin’s Maverick® II gas rooftop units with Intelligent Equipment® controls. The rooftop units deliver efficient temperature control and can all be managed by the school’s building manager with Daikin’s cloud-based Intelligent Equipment featuring real-time performance data.

Improving IAQ with a high efficiency HVAC system met a critical need. Yet, fully meeting student and teacher needs for healthy learning environment required upgrading the building’s physical infrastructure as well. Daikin’s Virginia team was able to solve the full challenge by installing a new duct work system, new interior doors, walls, and flooring, new LED interior and exterior lighting, an underground water line for the new fire protection system, and new exterior windows and doors.

"Our goal was to update as much of the school with our budget as possible to give Overby-Sheppard students and staff a learning environment that was safe, clean, and quiet."

- Scott Conley | Daikin Applied Richmond, VA District Manager

The Outcome

Daikin partnered with Overby-Sheppard to provide a complete building solution on a tight budget. “Our goal was to update as much of the school with our budget as possible to give Overby-Sheppard students and staff a learning environment that was safe, clean, and quiet,” said Scott Conley, Daikin Applied Richmond District Manager.“

At the grand opening, it was clear the difference the renovation had already made in this community.” At the unveiling, students cheered and thanked the team for their new school while teachers invited Daikin employees back to spend time with the students. At the conclusion of the project, Daikin and their subcontractors donated an additional $17,500 to the school for the teachers to select school supplies for their classrooms, a nod to the true partnership and respect that these teams formed over the course of the renovation.