Here’s a real challenge. The renovation of the Dulles Tower Class A office building in Herndon, Virginia (originally built in 2001) was proceeding as planned, but it was discovered that the original manufacturer specified for the building’s faucets could not meet delivery requirements.
Equal replacement faucets had to be found, ordered and delivered immediately. The building’s $11-million renovation schedule, which included a new lobby, entryway, fitness center, conference center, office space and upgrades to the restrooms, was in jeopardy.
Delays could create costly downtime, mounting labor costs and future tenant displeasure as move-in dates would have to be postponed.
Thankfully, a solution was found, explains Dave Bassett, a master plumber and estimator at Potomac Mechanical Contractors in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
“Given the time restraints, we reached out to several other faucet companies to meet the expedited schedule,” he says. “The only manufacturer we found that could meet our delivery date was Chicago Faucets.”
Bassett notes 137 of Chicago Faucets’ 1.5-gpm HyTronic Edge single-hole lavatory faucets with dual-beam infrared sensors were ordered for the building. “The faucets were delivered on time and immediately installed,” he says. “Unfortunately, the specification on the replacement faucets when ordered did not take into account the 0.5-gpm flow rate as required by the building owner’s LEED Silver and Energy Star requirements. It was a dilemma and we were looking for an immediate solution.”
Bassett explains the firm contacted Chicago Faucets, its representative, Ned Dwyer of manufacturers rep firm E.J. Dwyer, and Dustin Johnson from distributor Ferguson’s Commercial Business Group to help find a solution.
Located on the Dulles Technology Corridor in Herndon, considered the Silicon Valley of the East and one of the nation’s most vital business corridors and the region’s hottest market, the 403,663-square-foot, 13-story building was renovated to attract new-lease clients.
“After conferring with Dwyer and Johnson, the solution was simple,” Bassett says.
Bassett and his crew removed the 1.5-gpm aerators on the faucets and replaced them with 0.5-gpm vandal-resistant spray outlets that meet ASME A112.18.IM and CSA standards.
Also, lithium batteries designed for use with the HyTronic faucets were used to run the electronics.
Bassett explains since all the electronics are located in the spout above the sink, installation of the batteries in the 137 faucets was simple.
“Thanks to the teamwork of Ferguson, E.J. Dwyer and Chicago Faucets, the building experienced minimum delay and was built to meet LEED Silver and Energy Star requirements,” Bassett notes.
The entire building currently is being leased to Amazon Web Services.
