Boiler installation key for snowmelt, heating and DHW in ski village renaissance

Already one of North America’s premier resorts, Snowmass is undergoing a renaissance. What was once a dated, 1970s-build sleepy town has seen a host of on-mountain improvements, which have greeted skiers and riders in the 2006-2007 season. Snowmass has undergone a revitalization project in the last two years with ski area facility improvements totaling over $45 million (including summer 2007). The entire base village project is slated for completion in 2011.

Mimicking a small, quaint European village, the new base village mountain improvements are underway, with a long-term vision of Snowmass Base Village coming to life -- the perfect combination of a spectacular ski area and a community complete with lodging, retail, restaurants, a state-of-the-art children’s center, aquatic center and more. A new gondola, new chairlifts and new on-mountain facilities will serve base village.

With development under way on the new base village at Snowmass, families and guests alike will soon be able to enjoy some of the focal points of the new Snowmass base village development such as the two-story, 25,000-square-foot Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center located at the intersection of the three new lifts. Also to be enjoyed are the 15,000 square feet of conference space and 64,000 square feet of new shops, pubs and restaurants, The Little Nell Snowmass and 359 condominiums -- all connected to the upper village by a two-minute gondola ride via the Sky Cab gondola.

And perhaps the most significant improvement -- yet, for the most part, unnoticed -- is the huge underground 500,000-sq.-ft. parking garage beneath the village. No more concerns with parking. And there is a bus turnaround, which is convenient for those coming and going to and from the village. Relieving headaches and hassle, this is a great amenity for day skiers who park nearby and take a bus right to the village and ski lifts.

The epicenter for the plumbing and heating portion of this huge undertaking revolves around that newly constructed 500,000-sq.-ft. underground parking garage. Above the garage, a major portion of the snowmelt, heating and domestic hot water (DHW) was the focal point for Design Mechanical Inc., Denver, a subsidiary of Comfort Systems USA.

The snowmelt comprises 200,000 sq. ft. of walkways above the mammoth underground parking garage. The snowmelt and the plumbing -- hot/cold water distribution -- works through Aerco heat exchangers from the garage into individual basements of the structures above. The HVAC -- the heating and cooling -- is distributed through fan coils. All the snowmelt, plumbing and HVAC project components are powered from 11 Buderus SB735 condensing stainless steel boilers. Located underneath the Conference, Arts & Entertainment facilities, the mechanical room “is like a huge city power plant,” says Dean Italiano, pre-construction manager, business development, Design Mechanical.

With efficiencies of 90-95%, 4,000,000 Btus and features such as thermal shock resistance, Buderus is the ideal boiler for snowmelt applications. “It’s a huge energy saver,” says Italiano.

For commercial applications from 2,543,000 to 4,069,000 Btu/Hr output, the SB735’s proprietary Buderus Kondens heating surface generates up to 10% greater condensation versus smooth surfaces. Its intelligent water channeling facilitates the condensation process and creates even greater energy efficiency (up to 98%). The SB735 utilizes standard U.S. burners and conventional controls and is a perfect match with thermostream boilers in multiple boiler systems.  This series uses conventional forced draft gas burners and can be used with either natural gas or propane.  The SB735 is constructed with stainless steel fire tubes and a full three-pass flue and water design. This three-pass flue and water design extracts latent heat and maximizes overall efficiency. Its simplified system design eliminates the need for dedicated boiler pumps, bypass and or shunt pumps.

“In my estimation, value-wise, this is the best value,” says Italiano.

More than 50% of Design Mechanical’s projects are design/build, but not Snowmass. Most mountain projects call for plan & spec, with Beaudin Ganze the chief engineering company on the project.

Used exclusively with Comfort Systems USA, Ferguson is the trusted supplier of plumbing and HVAC products.

Essential to the project were eight Bell & Gossett HSC3 base-mounted pumps -- Double-suction hsc3 pumps are available in 2'' through 10'' sizes, motor sizes through 300 hp, flows to 6,500 gpm and heads to 400 feet. Bronze-fitted construction with a maximum working pressure of 175 psig.

The HSC3 features internally self-flushing mechanical seals for maximum lubrication, debris removal and heat dissipation. The internally flushed seals allow a shorter shaft with reduced deflection for longer seallife. Its closed-end steel baseplate has full seam welds for strength and an open top for easy grouting. The pump bearings and mechanical seals can be serviced without disturbing the upper casing half, piping connections or electrical motor connections.’

Other products used: pex system used throughout the snowmelt was REHAU; and a 350-ton Carrier water- cooled chiller was installed for the added option of air conditioning.

Related WestPac, a joint venture partnership between Related Companies, a fully integrated private real estate development company, and WestPac Investments Colorado LLC, is developing the new Snowmass Resort. In March of 2007, Related WestPac began re-development in Snowmass Village of an 80-acre master planned development befitting a  mountain resort that respects the community’s ideology.