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Reviving Alexandria, Egypts centuries-old tradition of
scholarship and learning, the new BibliothecaAlexandrina, or Great
Library of Alexandria, was designed to house up to 8,000,000
volumes and thou-sands of manuscripts, many of them ancient and
rare. The new HVAC system w as key to preservingthese historic
artifacts for f uture generations. In addition to preservation
cooling, the system neededto provide consistent, year-round comfort
to visiting scholars, tourists and the librarys staff of nearly600
and to t he complexs conference center, museums, planetarium and
calli graphy institute.
To effectively and efficiently cool the 743,000 sq. ft. Great
Library complex, Carrier installed fourEvergreen chillers,
providing 3,200 tons of high efficiency cooling, using the
non-ozone depletingrefrigerant HFC-134a. The units are brine
chillers, which allow for much cooler temperatures leavingthe
machine. This can be particularly advantageous wit h very large
cooling installati ons. The systemalso includes fan coil units,
variable air volume (VAV) units and air handlers to deliver
conditioned airw here and when it is needed, and to maintain
temperature consistency throughout the year a crit
icalconsideration for rare books and manuscripts.
Carrier Keeps Millions of Books and
Manuscripts Cool and Collected
Carriers variable air volume (VAV) solution keeps indoor
temperatures consistent throughout the dayand year round, despite
outdoor air t emperature f luctuations a crit ical factor in
preservation cooling.
Case Study Great Library of AlexandriaCase Study Great Library
of Alexandria
AIRSIDE/APPLIED/CONTROLS/SERVICE/SPECIAL SOLUTION/TOTAL
SYSTEM/UNITARY
EDUCATION/HEALTH
CARE/LODGING/MANUFACTURING/OFFICEBUILDING/RETAIL/SPECIA
Project Objectives
Solution
TemperatureComparison
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W hen it came to designing a state-of-the-art HVAC system to
cool a sophisticated and complex structureand preserve its valuable
historic contents, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina turned to
Carrier Corporation.Carriers extensive preservation experience w
orking on such landmark projects as the Sistine Chapel,
the500-year-old Peruvian Inca mummy and George Washingtons M ount
Vernon mansion w as key to thefuture of the thousands of rare books
and manuscripts housed in t he new library, as w ell as severalmil
l ion ot her scholarly works used by researchers from all over the
w orld.
The main objective w as to provide an optim al and consistent
indoor environment throughout t he year,despite outdoor temperature
variations, to protect the l ibrarys vast collections as w ell as
keep visitors andstaff comfortable. The cooling system w ould also
serve the rest of the complex, including the conferencecenter,
museums, planetarium, call igraphy institute and school of
information studies. Project off icialsw ere particularly
interested in the availabil i ty of service and replacement parts
for the new system andCarrier provided an excellent, local
organization for both.
Carrier selected high ef ficie ncy 19XR Evergreen centrifugal
chillers, which use HFC-134a, a chlorine-free,non-ozone depleting
refrigerant. The four chil lers provide approximately 3,500 tons of
cooling. The unitsare brine chil lers, w hich allow for much cooler
temperatures leaving the machine. This can be
particularlyadvantageous wit h very large cooling installations.
The chil lers, as well as the systems 21 model 42VCfan coil unit s
and 32 model 35DA variable air volume (VAV) units w ere
manufactured by Carrier in NorthAmerica. In addition, the system
included 60 model 39FX air handlers manufactured by Carrier S.A.in
France.
The original Bibliotheca Alexandrina, housing more than 700,000
manuscripts all of them cataloged w as destroyed in a tragic f ire
more than 1,600 years ago. The new 743,000 sq. ft. building is
circular in
design, with part of the structure submerged in a pool of w
ater. The inclined roof allow s indirect daylightand a clear view
of t he sea. The building is surrounded by a wall clad w ith Asw an
granite, engraved w ithcall igraphic letters and representative
inscriptions from the w orld civi l izations. The architects
simplecircular shape w as intended to evoke the Egyptian sun,
shining on the seat of centuries of know ledgeand enlightenment and
i l lum inating human civi l ization. Here scholars can revive the
ancient tradit ion oflearning that is Alexandrias heritage. And
they w il l do it in comfort, thanks to Carriers leadership
inpreservation cooling and expertise in i ndoor climate
control.
Project Synopsis
Carriers products andservices provided for t his
project w ill continue toenhance the environment
and vision of thismagnificent complex for
generations to come.
Les Ball, sr. accountrepresentat ive, Carrier CSS
Export Customer Service
200 0 Car ri er Corpo rat ion 05/ 00 811- 1001
For more information, contact your nearest Carrier
Representative, call 1.800.CARRIER or visit our web site at
www.carrier.com
Project Summary
Location: Alexandria, Egypt
Project Type: Newconstruction
Building Type/Size: 11-story,743,000 sq. ft. complex
Building Usage: Library, con -ference center, science
museum,planetarium, education andresearch center
Objectives: Consistent year-round temperature for preserva-
tion and comfort
Major Decision Drivers:Expertise in preservation cooling;readily
available service andreplacement parts
Design Considerations:Brine chil lers selected due t oextremely
large installation
Total Cooling (tons): 3,200
HVAC Equipment: Four mo del19XR Evergreen brine chillers;
21model 42VC fan coil units; 32model 35DA VAV units; 60 model39FX
air handlers
Unique Features: Book andmanuscript preservation;extremely large
complex
Project Cost Range:$1 mil l ion to $5 mil l ion
Installation Date: Init ial instal-lation 1999, completion
2001
The use of chlorine-free HFC-134a, not scheduled for phase-out,
ensures a continuing supplyof non-ozone depleting,
environ-mentally-responsible refrigerant.
continuedCase Study Great Library of Alexandria
AIRSIDE/ APPLIED / CONTROLS/SERVICE/SPECIAL SOLUTION/TOTAL
SYSTEM/UNITARY
EDUCATION/HEALTH
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