HVAC Takes Center Stage and Common Sense Makes a Curtain Call

School "Facilities Manager"...?
So that's an overpaid janitor then?
Del

means janitor in charge.

It just reinforces the concept of how people with common sense work for a living and those without common sense just stay in the educational system where it is not required.

? It wasn't teachers union members who made the decision. It was the facilities manager who made the decision. Doesn't he work for a living. What it really shows you is that when engineers tell you something maybe you should actually consider it. Just because you work pushing the broom doesn't really mean you know anything about the mechanics of the broom (or just because you drive a car/tractor/truck/etc doesn't mean you know how or why it works the way it does, the mechanics by which it operates, its limitations, etc..)

If it gets enclosed in a soundproof box, how does air move from the room to the unit and back to the room? The condenser has to be outdoors, anyway....

I am not able to detect that any of the facilities manager, the school board, the article writer, and the article editor (if any) knows anything about HVAC, or is able even to ask a cogent question about it.

Noise control is provided by HVAC designer/consultant for small installations while serious installations require acoustic consultants. Their designs must be followed. Unfortunately, maintenance team & general people do not value these concepts since the works are not visible & end up creating problems & higher costs for owners

This is why they make roofs and fences.

I don't think we have sufficient information to engage in "off the cuff" condemnation of the facilities manager.

Assuming this was a fairly major project for the school system I have to ask:

Question: Where was the planning and how was it done?

The Blog mentions completing "a building conversion on-time". EVERY well run renovation project requires a degree of planning and design before undertaking it. Objectives and the work have to be as clear as possible. It sounds like resolution of this question was evidently left to the last moment and then "slapped together".

Question: Were objectives, planning and scope of work clear?

Answering "no" to any of the above is a good way to screw a project up from the start.

Question: Was resolution left to the last moment and if so why?

Leaving resolution of (should be) detailed design elements to the last minute is another way to screw a project up. Everone needs to know what they are doing and how they are going to do it if possible BEFORE they start. (There is always something un-forseen and you can improvise solutions on the fly but you have to be very good at your job if you depend on improvisation for a successful project.)

Question: Was the facilities manager dealing with a mess handed to him or was it a mess of his own making?

I've seen "Good" managers and "Bad". Education may help but not always relevant. Somtimes good managers are put on the spot where they HAVE to make a decision that turns bad.

Question: Did he have "Good" Engineers, Architects and support?

Having good support frequently makes up for gaps in knowlege. Part of being a good engineer is giving advise and support to your client so he isn't put in the position of having to make a bad decision. (Bad ones put in minimal effort, collect their fees and say "Its not my fault".)

Question: How did the rest of the project go?

Did it go well? Was this the only fault? Was it one mistake after another? The only "perfect" projects I see are the ones you design that DON'T get built.

Be fair to all concerned, You never know when you'll be on the other end.