NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY MATTHEWS ARENA

In 2018, B2Q won a bid to provide design services to replace a pair of aging steam boilers in Matthews Arena, the oldest hockey rink in America. In the process of starting the design of the boiler upgrade, we were made aware of some issues with fogging around the rink during hockey games and that NU had installed rental desiccant dehumidification units to help alleviate the fogging. Unfortunately, the rental units had operational challenges that led to them to not run often and the lease ended after the first hockey seasons of use. NU asked B2Q to then provide design services to install permanent replacements for the desiccant dehumidifiers.

B2Q acted as the prime consultant, overseeing electrical, structural, architectural, and acoustic subconsultants. Our final design included two new rooftop units that would provide the necessary dehumidification, but would also bring the under-ventilated building up to code and provide air conditioning so that a pair of aging air handling units could be decommissioned. We had to be creative in our design because of limited space availability, complicated structural requirements, residential neighbors sensitive to noise issues, and a tight project budget and schedule. The new units were installed and the Arena staff have noted significant improvement in humidity control and ice quality.