A new Visitor Contact Station at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Brian Head, Utah, was made possible by the community-funded Centennial Challenge program. This impressive 3,400-square-foot building has replaced outdated facilities and now offers indoor and covered outdoor spaces for educational programs, interpretive activities, and special events. Additionally, visitors can benefit from an information desk, a partner sales area, restrooms, and other essential amenities.
360 Engineering was part of the Anderson Hallas Architects design team, which contributed to the creation of this fully electric new facility. Our scope of work included conducting an energy model and life cycle cost analysis. The restroom building features an energy recovery ventilator, and the visitor area and offices are equipped with efficient infrared electric heat. This project has resulted in a highly energy-efficient and easily maintainable facility for the park staff. We are excited about the positive impact this will have on the visitor experience and the environment.
NREL upgraded research capabilities in two laboratories in the Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) and one in the Science and Technology Facility (S&TF) to accommodate new research activities.
360 Engineering led the design team, which included mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering and architecture, to remove walls between the two SERF labs, add toxic and hazardous gas lines, and install new research equipment. Considerations included maintaining proper clearance above the reactor and simultaneously avoiding conflict with the overhead crane, electrical and fire safety modifications, new fume hoods, gas monitoring systems, and gloveboxes. New gas detection and alarms were provided for the different gases in this lab.
The enlarged lab in SERF dictated the supply and exhaust air systems be rebalanced for the new condition. The new reactor and glove box had general exhaust needs, and the new process pump with its own enclosure required a dedicated exhaust system with a new exhaust fan on the roof rated for laboratory gas capable of discharging safely above a walking path. New gas storage was added in the hallway and routed into the combined lab from one remote storage through an adjacent lab to maintain the integrity of the existing gas distribution system.
The National Park Service identified Fort Vancouver in their Service-wide Curation Facility Plan as a multi-park museum collection repository location to help reduce deferred maintenance, O&M costs, and museum standard deficiencies. Fort Vancouver cares for museum collections from four national parks, a total collection of 3 million items. To create this multi-park museum facility, an existing 14,000-square-foot 1980s aircraft maintenance hangar was selected by NPS to be rehabilitated.
After an initial phase of discovery, cataloging, and calculations, 360 Engineering, with our architectural design lead Anderson Hallas, presented three mechanical options to NPS in a “Choosing By Advantage” or Value Analysis presentation. Based on our evaluation of the existing building and project goals, including 100% electrification, 360 Engineering explored three mechanical system options and presented the pros and cons of each to the NPS team, helping them make an informed decision, ultimately deciding to go with a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system.
VRF had many advantages for this project, including minimizing the amount of ductwork to maximize the amount of storage space. Additionally, the building will house many varying occupancies, including critical temperature/humidity collections storage, laboratory spaces, general assembly for field trips, library spaces, and general office space. With the varying occupancies come varying heating and cooling loads to maintain comfort in the occupied spaces and temperature standards to preserve the collections. An important aspect of large buildings’ mechanical design and a guiding principle of NPS is energy-efficient systems that reduce consumption and reliance on fossil fuels. VRF outshines previous standard mechanical systems and offers an opportunity for refrigerant heat recovery between varying zones. Spaces that are too hot can transfer that otherwise wasted energy to spaces that are too cold. The refrigerant will flow round and round, utilizing simple heat transfer mechanics before ever turning on the larger pieces of equipment. Overall, the VRF system is perfect for NPS’ first Service-Wide Curation Facility Plan.
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.
