Illinois State Capitol

North Wing Renovation Commissioning Services

Springfield, IL

The Illinois State Capitol Building is undergoing a $24M renovation to meet 21^st century needs while taking care to preserve its historic architecture and character. Faith Group was selected to support the Architect of the Capitol as the prime consultant to provide commissioning services. Commissioning activities are being performed on upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems including air handlers, variable air volume (VAV)’s with reheat, exhaust air control, steam heat exchangers, snow melt system, pumping systems, and control sequences associated with integrating the building management system. An additional scope that Faith Group is overseeing is building envelope commissioning elements associated with the windows replacement in the existing building. With the project in pursuit of LEED accreditation, all commissioning efforts will be in line with delivering the USGBC’s LEED Enhanced Commissioning in accordance with Option 1, Path 2 under LEED V4.

Due to the architectural historical preservation requirements, the commissioning efforts are accounting for preservation of historical elements while introducing new-age, high-performance equipment. Faith Group is designing an installation and functional performance test checklist to ensure all criteria are met while design efforts preserve the original structure. The renovation of the building’s north wing includes an underground parking garage, underground conference center, and two-level welcoming center for visitors. The construction for the subgrade conference center requires stringent metrics for tempering and dehumidification within the HVAC system.

“What we’re trying to do is to restore the building back to the timeframe when it was built. It’s taken us a lot of studying and a lot of research to do that. But our plan is that this building will last another 150 years for many people to enjoy.” – Andrea Aggertt, Architect of the Capitol, Chicago Tribune – January 13, 2022