360 Engineering’s experience with the Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF) on NREL’s South Table Mountain campus dates to 2009 when we led a team of architects and engineers in designing the building and the vehicle test pad. VTIF was designed with prefabricated walls, roof panels, and a solar wall located outside of the building to pre-heat the outside air used for ventilation in winter, thereby reducing the heating load on the building. The facility’s original use was to research the interaction of building energy systems, utility grids, renewable energy sources, and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
In 2019, NREL needed more laboratory research space to conduct weather simulations on vehicles, which required the reconfiguration of VTIF to support changing research activities accommodating the Materials & Chemicals Science & Technology (MCST) Group. This included updates to the mechanical and electrical systems, adding a process chilled water system, and modifying building infrastructure. The reconfiguration also involved removing existing laboratory equipment, replacing it with new equipment for MCST.
One of the new pieces of equipment was a weatherometer, this required a new modular chiller with variable flow process chilled water system to mitigate the heat dissipation away from the ambient air. Additionally, the building’s ventilation system was provided with a new chilled water coil and gas-fired heating coil to provide more stringent temperature control of the laboratory space. Finally, to accommodate the new lab equipment and processes, the chemical exhaust system was upgraded for the added capacity.
Scotts Bluff, a stone formation that rises 800 ft. above the North Platte River in Nebraska, has long been a landmark for travelers. Located inside the 3,000-acre Scotts Bluff National Monument park, the historic Oregon Trail Museum and Visitor Center, comprising several structures built in phases from 1935 to 1949, needed renovation and system upgrades.
360 Engineering designed new mechanical and plumbing systems for the main visitor center and an addition to the building and commissioning of the upgraded systems. The design incorporated existing in-wall ducts and grills to preserve the facility’s original design intent and an energy-efficient VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) HVAC system with energy recovery ventilation.
Additionally, 360 Engineering conducted a fundamental fire protection analysis to determine the required flow for a full building sprinkler system compared to the available capacity of the existing on-site water storage tank. Through this analysis, 360 Engineering confirmed that a new fire pump was not required to provide sprinkler coverage to the building. 360 Engineering also sized and laid out the fire protection mains throughout the building based on NFPA standards.
The Forest Service identified the need to replace their existing buildings at the Jemez Ranger District Office in Jemez Springs, NM. The new buildings included an 8,300-square-foot office building, 3,500-square-foot fire station, and 2,800-square-foot warehouse and storage yard on the existing 3-acre space – the office building designed to meet Green Globes Certification standards. The project also involved all associated utilities to these new buildings.
The Jemez Ranger District required adequate and efficient office and storage space, heated fire engine storage, technologically advanced HVAC and communications systems, health and safety compliance, workshop areas, and parking. To meet these needs, 360 Engineering coordinated mechanical and plumbing design with the A/E team and sustainability consultant led by civil and structural engineering firm JVA, Inc.
360 Engineering designed the systems to meet code and USFS Sustainability Requirements. The mechanical systems included packaged variable air volume (VAV) rooftop air handlers with single-duct air terminal units with hydronic reheat provided by a high-efficiency condensing hot water boiler in the office building. Plumbing components included separate propane gas meters for the office and fire buildings, water meter services, water-saving plumbing fixtures, water heaters, hot water circulation systems, roof and overflow drainage, and 4” waste services.
The Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) serves as a state-of-the-art laboratory building for photovoltaics research. 360 Engineering has led architectural and engineering design teams on over fifteen projects at SERF for various upgrades and modifications.
This project’s mechanical scope of work involved replacing the three failing chillers with two new energy-efficient chillers. These variable speed chillers utilize an internal free-cooling sequence, delivering a high leaving water temperature to provide more tonnage in the same footprint as other systems, plus the intelligently controlled free-cooling bypass valves reduce pump energy when free-cooling is not beneficial. The upfront cost is more, but there is long-term value in efficiency due to the chiller’s ability to move from mechanical to hybrid to free-cooling modes automatically, further minimizing energy use.
Our engineers walked NREL through the decision-making process, outlining the different options and pros and cons of each one, so they could make an informed decision. We also coordinated with the electrical engineering consultant, AE Design, to ensure proper electrical power connections were in place for the new equipment. An upgraded refrigerant monitoring and mechanical exhaust system was required to provide safe operation of the equipment and to meet NREL Safety Guidelines. We coordinated with the structural engineering consultant, Martin/Martin, to place the equipment on the busy roof and provide new openings as needed for the exhaust and makeup air system.
For Construction Administration, we attended the pre-bid walkthrough, OAC meetings, performed site observations with reports, and provided a final punch report. Also, a 360 Engineering Commissioning Agent, who was not involved with the design, provided additional reviews of system verification checklists, functional performance test results, commissioning logs, and site observations for pre-functional installation, equipment start-up, and functional performance testing.
Since 2008, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has awarded 360 Engineering multiple Task Order Agreement contracts to lead a multi-disciplinary team of Architects and Engineers. Through these contracts, 360 Engineering’s design team has completed over 100 projects.
At the Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF), the team has completed several upgrade projects. One of these projects involved providing a new cooling tower and upgrading a leaking cooling tower condenser water piping system. To accommodate budget and scheduling concerns, 360 Engineering coordinated the division of the project into two phases and reduced impact to the site by finding a solution to fix the leaking underground piping without relocating the existing cooling tower.
360 Engineering reconfigured the operation of the cooling tower condenser water plant to optimize both the performance of the plant as well as increase the system redundancy moving forward. A temporary bypass piping system was incorporated, allowing the condenser water plant to continue operating while the leaking underground piping was replaced with a higher-quality pre-insulated piping system. This piping was specified to mitigate the effects of corrosive soils, which caused the original piping leak, and to maximize the life of the new piping system.
The Scotty’s Castle Visitor Center, interpretive exhibits, accessible parking, and pedestrian walkways were damaged extensively due to a massive flash flood in 2015. 360 Engineering worked with the Architecture and Engineering design team to provide mechanical and plumbing engineering services for the rehabilitation of the Visitor Center and surrounding buildings, including a complete replacement of the HVAC system in the Visitor Center.
Curecanti National Recreation Area is a popular destination for many outdoor recreation activities, consisting of recreational facilities and three reservoirs Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal. The Park’s Visitor Center, Elk Creek, is located 16 miles west of Gunnison, Colorado. It was designed in 1965 by architect Cecil Doty during the National Park Service Mission 66 era. The historic Visitor Center underwent rehabilitation of the mechanical and electrical systems, lighting fixtures, restrooms, plumbing fixtures, exterior windows and doors, and interior finishes to address accessibility and safety. 360 Engineering worked with Anderson Hallas Architects and the A/E design team to provide mechanical and plumbing engineering services, bringing Elk Creek up to date.
Located at NREL’s Flatirons Campus, the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology (CoMET) facility enables NREL to lead composite research projects for the wind turbine industry. As part of 360 Engineering’s IDIQ contract with NREL, the firm was selected to provide a new R-19 insulation system to this existing pre-engineered metal building. 360 Engineering led the design team, including Anderson Hallas Architects, Martin/Martin for structural engineering, and AE Design for electrical engineering.
The architect used WUFI modeling to determine the location of the vapor barrier and the system’s feasibility. Martin/Martin evaluated the existing structure to verify its capability of supporting the additional insulation and offered a design for minor support of a new architectural roof system. 360 Engineering determined the dew point, proposed systems to mitigate interior condensation, and designed a retrofit to add a DX coil to the existing 100% outdoor air unit, as well as provided new controls for the existing unit to tie into the campus BAS. Additionally, 360 calculated the new space heating load and designed new gas unit heater installations to cover and reduce the load on the existing electric coil in the 100% outdoor air unit. AE Design designed the removal and reinstallation of exterior lighting and power to new unit heaters and DX unit.
Based on the design team’s analysis and reporting, it was determined that Roofing Option 1 (spray foam insulation) was the only feasible choice due to the maximum allowable structural load parameters. 360 Engineering led the team through design and into construction administration, completing a final punch report once construction was finished.
Building 95 at the Denver Federal Center houses four tenants; the National Water Quality Laboratory, the Brand of Quality Systems, National Research Programs, and the Center for Isotope Research in Earth Science and Biology. The General Services Administration (GSA) initiated a mechanical study of the exhaust and make-up air systems for the hazardous waste area of the building. Fugitive fumes were escaping from the room, and the system was unable to maintain negative pressures. 360 Engineering was hired to conduct the study for the GSA as part of the Anderson Hallas Architects IDIQ team.
As-built drawings were reviewed to determine how the system was designed to operate, including mechanical equipment, heating and cooling capacities, and controls sequence of operations. The field survey observed system operation and existing equipment, verified accuracy of as-built drawings, inspected Building Automation System (BAS), and measured airflow for supply and exhaust.
Modification recommendations were made to achieve the required performance, including new equipment, new infrastructure, re-balancing existing equipment, and adjusting setpoints and sequences of operations.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) operates in two central locations, Gaithersburg, Maryland and Boulder, Colorado. For (3) buildings on the Boulder campus, NIST awarded 360 Engineering a contract to conduct a study of steam and chilled water. As the prime consultant, 360 Engineering made on-site assessments of the steam piping and chilled water piping to determine the condition of piping in Buildings 1, 2, and 24. Each is a multi-story building consisting of private offices and laboratory spaces.
These buildings, constructed between 1950 and 1965, had undergone some recent renovations, though many of the building systems dated back to the original construction and were operating past life expectancy. Based on the field assessments, 360 Engineering compiled a report, detailing all piping conditions and recommendations on the need for replacement.
Project challenges included mapping out entire steam and chilled water systems without full sets of as-built drawings, and determining how the systems operated by piecing together select information from several drawing sets and site surveys.
