Persistence Preparatory Academy
Back at the end of November, 2020, Allied Mechanical was contracted to perform the mechanical renovation of the new Persistence Preparatory Academy building on Urban Street in Buffalo. This 55,000 square foot building was formerly Buffalo Public School #62 and was purchased by Persistence Prep to be the site of their new permanent location for their K-8th grade program. This building has been closed up and unused since P.S. 62 was shut down in 1980. Over twenty years of disuse meant a complete overhaul of the building, including the mechanical system.
This project includes the installation of eight new Aaon air-handling units, among other mechanical equipment and system duct work. These large pieces of equipment were delivered on-site on April 27th, 2021. Three large air-handling units arrived on the first truck, with the remaining one large and four smaller units coming on the second truck.
In addition to getting these air-handling units up onto the roof, each unit had a new, customized roof curb that had to go up as well. A roof curb is the transition piece that connects the rooftop unit to the building itself. The roof curb hides and protects the wiring and ductwork connections that allow the unit to condition the air of the space below. The existing curbs are usually utilized, however that was not possible for this building.
Once the curbs were up on the roof and in position, it was time to lift the air-handling units. The narrow street, the size of these units, and the roof span, made for a tricky lift. Stockwell Construction out of Clarence, NY utilized a larger than usual crane for this undertaking. Their team of lift experts were able to get the curbs and units placed with the help of Allied’s installers with no issues.
Up first went the larger units. These 12.7 EER Aaon rooftop units will mainly be serving the ground floor of the school, which is the home of the gymnasium, cafeteria, music/art classrooms, and offices.
The smaller units came off of the second truck. While these units are comparatively smaller than the first four, they still have size of their own! After watching the larger units being lifted, these smaller units almost flew up to the roof. These units are 12.2 EER Aaon units, and will serve the first and second floors of the building. These floors are dedicated to classrooms and office spaces.
These eight units took a full day’s work to get lifted and placed correctly. Buffalo did gift our team with a beautifully sunny day, with no wind or rain. The units went up and were placed and the connections were started. What an exciting day on the job-site – there’s nothing quite like watching a crane lift a 4,500 pound unit into the air above!
