The Dia Art Foundation was founded in New York City in 1974 to aid artists in creating work that they might not be able to otherwise due to the scale or scope. In 2003, the foundation opened Dia Beacon, a museum which displays Dia’s collection of art from the 1960s to the present, as well as special exhibitions and public programs.

CE was hired to evaluate the recommendations made by a former engineer, who had retired, regarding storm surge flood mitigation for the facility, which was facing significant flooding on its south and west sides.

Dia Beacon also turned to CE to perform an assessment of their existing HVAC systems, mainly the large custom packaged rooftop units serving their main gallery spaces. The units had reached the end of their useful life and were failing to maintain the required thermal conditions which were critical for maintaining the artwork. CE reviewed the existing equipment, performed load calculations to verify the required capacity, and explored replacement options with increased energy efficiency and controls which would enable energy rebates from the local utilities. CE proposed upgrading the existing BMS to allow for improved data trending and control capabilities along with the full replacement of the packaged units. Dia opted to engage the manufacturer directly for a turnkey performance contract for the replacement and controls upgrade, however CE continued to provide consulting services throughout the project.