Courtesy 2008 Republican National Convention & Reflections Photography.
| The 2008 Republican National Convention, held September 1-4, 2008, was an event of epic proportions. It took 40 days to transform 475,000 sq. ft. of space at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN from an NHL hockey arena and concert venue into a convention hall.
More than 500 workers were brought in to remove 3,000 seats, build workspace for the staff and media, and prepare the site for the 45,000 participants. Included was the installation of 12 miles of high-capacity fiber optic line; 25 miles of voice, data, and coaxial cable and 135 miles of copper wiring for the 500 commercial TV stations broadcasting from the Xcel Center
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Freeman,
an event logistics and decorating company based out of Dallas, was
hired to oversee the convention operations. One of the tasks assigned
to Ralph Tufaro, director of operations for Freeman, included
reconfiguring 30 suites surrounding the main concourses into
temporary media broadcast facilities for national news networks
including Fox News Channel, ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Packing
an entire television studio into these small spaces, some no larger
than 800 sq ft created an interesting challenge. These rooms were
tightly packed with lights, sound, video cameras, and other
electronic equipment that would emit tremendous amounts of heat. A
solution was needed that would mitigate the heat problem, take up
very little space, and (since live broadcasts were going to be made
from these rooms) would make the least amount of noise.
Based
on a referral from the Xcel Energy Center, Tufaro called on Scott
Bjorklund technical field representative for TEMP-AIR, Inc.
(Burnsville, MN), a provider of temporary, portable heating, cooling,
dehumidifying, and air filtration services. Using its line of
TOPAZ Portable Air Conditioners, TEMP-AIR installed a system of
supplemental cooling comprising 23 THPAC-5 portable air conditioners,
each rated at 77,500 Btuh; two THPAC-3 portable air conditioners,
each rated at 42,200 Btuh; 85 20 in. x 25 ft poly vinyl flexible
duct; and 21 14 in. x 25 ft poly vinyl flexible duct.
In another part of the facility, using the repurposed Zamboni storage area underneath the arena's main seating tier, temporary offices for House Republican leader John Boehner (R-OH) and senior Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) were constructed, as well as "cloakrooms," or private lounges, for the House, Senate, and gubernatorial attendees
The rooms were completed with walls and ceilings, but beacuse they were temporary facilities, these spaces did not have their own A/C controls. Dan Lewakowski, project manager for Freeman, had these requirements for the storage area,
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TOPAZ TZ-60A set up in the main concourse of the Xcel Center.
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“We needed a 5-ton unit for each of
the cloakrooms, and the footprint needed to be 3 ft x 4 ft on the
plan. We also needed access to each unit, plus we needed to put in an
air return register in two of the panels. For the two offices, we
planned to use one 3-ton unit that would handle
both.”
Because each room was shaped
differently, and each news studio had their own requirements, each
setting needed its own unique solution. Some requested construction
of temporary closets to house the A/C units for easy access inside
the room. Some asked that the A/C be ducted through the ceiling into
the middle of the space.
The Xcel Energy
Center asked that TEMP-AIR duct out the condenser heat using the
facility’s existing permanent ductwork. In one instance, flexible
ductwork was hung from the ceiling, across the main concourse
hallway, and into one of the unused concession stands in order to
access the building’s exhaust system.
Because
the suites required a high level of sound control, some of the news
stations asked for installation of temporary, insulated walls and
acoustical ductwork. Additionally, the TOPAZ line of portable air
conditioners was specifically chosen for this application because the
3- to 5-ton units can operate between 67 and 71 dB, the lowest
decibel level for this size of industrial, portable air conditioner.
Tufaro summed up his thoughts on the service
that TEMP-AIR provided, “My main contact, Scott Bjorklund, was
always available and stayed with us throughout the event. As you can
imagine, we had many obstacles to overcome — from getting the power
in and the hot air out to keeping up with emptying the condensate
tanks while security was at its peak. TEMP-AIR did not miss a beat.”
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