HVAC for small Brooklyn Commercial Loft

rosestudios · Post by **rosestudios** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:53 am

Hello,

I'm working with a bare 689 sqft space that I am building a decoupled room with isobooth into. The control room will be 289 sqft and the live room and isobooth will be 320 sqft. There is currently an HVAC unit installed in the space and while noisey it cools and circulates the room quite well. Ceilings are 11 ft high. I'm concerned about getting fresh air and keeping artists comfortable in the isolated structures, as they will be quite thermally sealed.

As per the restrictions of the condo board I can only renovate internally and my space is limited. I've researched around and I've found some good fantech designs for ventilation (see below), but I'm not sure if there's a better way to incorporate A/C and ventilation features by working off the existing HVAC. I'm afraid I'm unaware of the model of the HVAC but it's a small rectangular model mounted on the wall, most likely linked centrally in the building.

I've considered mini-split systems but I'm not sure I'd have anywhere to put the second, floor mounted inverter inside. Would it be best to simply use a central A/C unit in the live room with vents for the live and iso rooms to the control room? I'm a bit clueless here, but I'm aware of how essential HVAC is and would like to make sure it's effective and quiet, I have a $2000-$3000 budget, but I'd like to keep it tighter than not, although I'd rather have the efficiency. Tell me if this budget is suitable as well.

Thank you.

rosestudios · Post by **rosestudios** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 9:59 am

So I've resolved heating/cooling/dehumidfying with a plan to use a mini-split system, and now I've moved on to the nuances of installing the ventilation ducts. I have a plan for placement but I'd like a review of the basic design and materials involved. Here's what I gather, and I'd really appreciate help on where this design is flawed, I've researched quite heavily and this is still sort've flying over my head.

From the outside to the recording room:

-Large Grill (let's say 12")
-Flex Duct (6" and bent slightly)
-Enters into Fantech FG6XL
-Exits into a round inline duct muffler (recommendations for brand here?)
-Somehow transitions to Mansville Super Duct, let's say 8"
-90º into a DIY box muffler, let's say 10"
-Out into 12" grill into recording room

All of this is installed in a soffit mounted outside the recording room and the ductwork is lined with fiberglass, the soffit is decoupled via genieclips,e verything is sealed and caulked, soffit has two layers of drywall with green glue installed over it. Immediate questions are:

Does this work? Are vent sizes appropriate? I'm looking for 60 CFM for the room.

How do I transition from the round outlet of the Fantech into the square super duct?

How can I prevent the 90º turn into the recording room? Are there recommended brands of acoustic HVAC turning vanes?

Thank you, would really appreciate some help here, build is approaching and HVAC is perhaps a month or so down the line but I'd like information sooner than not.

Soundman2020 · Post by **Soundman2020** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:23 am

I'm working with a bare 689 sqft space that I am building a decoupled room with isobooth into. The control room will be 289 sqft and the live room and isobooth will be 320 sqft.

It would help if you could post images of your layout and isolation plan, so we can get a better idea of what you are planning. Photos of the actual space would also help a lot.

So I've resolved heating/cooling/dehumidfying with a plan to use a mini-split system,

Smart move!

Are vent sizes appropriate? I'm looking for 60 CFM for the room.

The ventilation ducts need to be sized such that the flow rate you need will produce a flow velocity of no higher than 300 fps at the register, and hopefully much lower. In turn the flow rate must be sized correctly for the right number of room changes per hour, based on occupancy and size.

How can I prevent the 90º turn into the recording room? Are there recommended brands of acoustic HVAC turning vanes?

If you design your silencer boxes correctly, you can have them provide the final sleeves through the leaf, up to the register, with a straight run of at least 3 times the duct size.

- Stuart -

rosestudios · Post by **rosestudios** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:28 am

Thank you Stuart! The links were very helpful and I will now be incorporating the silencer boxes into my design. I have something much simpler, care to help me out based off of this crude diagram of the studio?

So based on the image provided, the exchange room has a mini-split in it and the ceilings are dropped in the recording areas (live and iso rooms) so technically the exchange room and the control room are connected above the recording area, which is sealed off by its own ceiling. This means the exchange room has fresh air through the control room.

A and B are the main outlet ducts that feed the rooms from the exchange room. Their duct design is as follows, placed within a decoupled soffit in the dropped ceiling frame:

A -
3' Flex Duct (6")
Fantech
3' Flex Duct (6")
Owens Corning Enduragold/Manville Superduct run (5.5" x 5.5" to retain around the same area of the 6" duct, although a little bigger)
Register is cut out of ductboard and flows into a grill into the isoroom, register is a plywood expander from 5.5" to 8"
10" grill

This is a 20 ft long run.

B -
3' Flex Duct (6")
Fantech
3' Flex Duct (6")
Silencer box leading to an 8" register out
10" grill

This is about a 10 ft run.

I plan to put these in as well as a passive return duct for each room built like B is built. How does this sound for the essential duct formula?

P.S. The live room is about 240 sqft and the isoroom is about 60 sqft. I plan to have at very very most 4 people in the live room.

Thank you for the help, very resourceful and communicative.

nmk85roll · Post by **nmk85roll** » Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:31 am

[quote="Soundman2020"]I've seen that strange silencer box "design" before, and not quite sure where it comes from, but it isn't much use as a silencer for studios!

the design comes from Ted actually over at soundproofingcompany.com

I'm not justifying whether it works or not, just siting the source.

John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

HVAC for small Brooklyn Commercial Loft

HVAC for small Brooklyn Commercial Loft

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