Buunni Coffee is an independent neighborhood coffee shop, offering Ethiopian coffee that is freshly roasted once a week. Founded in 2011, Buunni Coffee continues to grow, with locations in Washington Heights, Inwood and Riverdale. EP Engineering designed all MEP systems for the Riverdale location, transforming an empty shell into a vibrant local coffee shop. The new space is complete with LED lighting, and a high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heating and cooling system.
Buunni Coffee Ethiopian Coffee
Engineering challenges
- The existing space had limited electrical power and was not initially designed to support the high electrical demand of a café.
- High ceiling and a mezzanine seating area created a situation where heating may be required in certain areas, while cooling was required in others.
Engineering outcomes
- By using a VRF HVAC system for heating and cooling, we were able to significantly reduce the electrical load required, compared with a traditional electric resistance heating system.
- The VRF HVAC system was designed with heat recovery, which allows any air handler on the system to simultaneously heat or cool, without the need for additional condensing units