Freedom Tower Renovations
Miami
Award of Merit
Submitted by: Integral Engineering
Owner: Miami Dade College
Lead Design Firm: MC Harry Associates
General Contractor: Thornton Construction Inc.
MEP Engineer: Fraga Engineers
Mechanical Engineer: V2E Global
MEP Engineer: Integral Engineering
To modernize the mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure throughout Freedom Tower, the team first had to figure out what lay behind the walls. No accurate historical as-builts remained, so crews began the $10.3-million project with high-precision point cloud scanning to create a comprehensive MEP digital model. That revealed the spatial limitations and hidden systems while providing clash detection and infrastructure mapping. The schedule was tied to the tower’s 100th-anniversary celebration and the opening of the FIFA U.S. headquarters and museum.
Mechanical work integrated a hydronic system with high-efficiency air handling units, 23,134 lb of ductwork and a specialized smoke evacuation system bringing the building up to modern life-safety standards. Electrical work delivered a new utility vault and complete overhaul of the power distribution network, including replacing EMT with stainless steel pipe, relocating two existing generators and installing the historic facade lighting and light show. Plumbing covered a renovation of sanitary and domestic water systems, including a custom-engineered subsurface sewage ejector station.
