Upgrading a Building Cooling System

One Canal Place is a 32-story Class A building built in 1979. Almost 40 years after its construction, the building’s original three-cell, wooden 1,800-ton Marley cooling tower located on the roof required replacement. This complex job consisted of multiple project phases ranging from the breakdown of the old tower to installation of the new, as well as making sure one cell remained operational for tenant comfort during New Orleans’ mild winter days. Corporate Realty’s onsite engineering team and Director of Engineering had the expertise to manage the project from start to finish. 

Work began during the fourth quarter of 2018. The new unit, also a three-cell 1,800-ton Marley cooling tower, was this time constructed of stainless steel with related piping and controls. This was not a typical cooling tower replacement project where most replacement towers are set via large crane. A large crane was not an option due to the location of the current tower from the street as well as Canal Street being unable to accommodate the weight of the crane and the equipment. The new tower was built and assembled at the manufacturer, then disassembled by the manufacturer and shipped in multiple packages to New Orleans. Upon arrival, one of the new cells of the new cooling tower had to be re-assembled and installed to ensure operations continued seamlessly. Then, the old cooling tower was broken down and reconstruction of the new tower commenced.

Tower parts were transported both to and from the roof in two ways. The smaller, more manageable parts could travel via the building’s freight elevator and internal stairwells. Larger parts, like beams and stainless-steel panels, had to travel up and down the exterior of the building via a small crane located on the roof during evening hours.  The project finished in early 2019, resulting in more efficient temperature regulation for One Canal Place.