The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) provides healthcare services to veterans across the Colorado front range. The old ECHCS facility at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver consisted of a Medical and Surgical Center and Community Living Center. 360 Engineering was hired by the VA as the prime consultant and mechanical engineer to determine why the building’s heating water pipe system was failing and to offer solutions within their budget.
The 9-floor hospital building had a separate Central Utility Plant, with piping running in chases to the main building. 360 Engineering conducted thorough field investigations of the piping, including sending samples of the failing heating water piping to an analytical laboratory. Through careful analysis and coordination with the VA facility maintenance team, the cause of the failing piping was determined to be oxygen pitting.
360 Engineering provided multiple solutions and the pros and cons of each solution, including any possible downtimes, impacts to operations, and associated costs to mitigate effects. Also, 360 Engineering designed each chase individually, with its own price, which allowed the VA to select the best solution for its budget. During construction, 90% of the work was completed without entering occupied space. Stairwells and the building’s exterior walls were utilized for the selected chases, and all chases were designed to work with the existing architecture.
360 Engineering provided prime consulting and mechanical engineering services for the refurbishment of a lab space within NREL’s Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) Laboratory. This complete remodel converted an existing double-height space to produce two usable floors and eliminated the partitions between Labs W215 and W216 to create one large space, then relocated existing equipment within the new space. The project also involved revisions to the existing engineered systems, including relocating an existing 8-ft. poly fume hood from SERF W132 to SERF C121 and re-engineering the HVAC system in C121 to accommodate the hood. 360 Engineering also redesigned the area for electron microscope study to meet radio frequency and magnetic requirements provided by NREL.
NREL’s Field Test Laboratory Building (FTLB) houses more than 40 labs, including Lab 105. For this retrofit, 360 Engineering provided both prime consulting and mechanical engineering services. Undertaken so the existing two-story space could house new custom lab equipment, the project involved plumbing and mechanical design and modification. The mechanical scope involved providing a new air handling unit (AHU) to connect to the existing heating water, chilled water, and energy recovery loops within the building. The new mechanical system designed introduces additional makeup air into the building, with an energy recovery unit and associated exhaust fans. The laboratory makeup air and exhaust air systems now handle air change rates per NREL lab standards and the additional heat generated by the new equipment. To accommodate a chemical hood, seven gas cabinets, and several snorkels, the team designed a new variable volume supply system and variable air volume (VAV) exhaust system. The system includes Venturi air valves to maintain proper differential pressure with the adjoining spaces. A new plumbing system includes an acid-resistant sump pump beneath a laboratory sink that routes lab waste to a central processing tank within the building. Seven independent gas lines were installed to support the lab hood and lab equipment operations.
Dedicated to “finding renewable and energy-efficient solutions, highlighting technologies and systems designed to increase the viability of sustainably powered vehicles,” NREL’s Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF) was built to support research on building energy systems, utility grids, renewable energy sources, and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). A 2,800-square-foot pre-manufactured structure, it features four bays (three passenger, one heavy vehicle); one 50kW DC fast PEV charger; three outdoor AC Level 2 electric vehicle supply equipment units; a wireless vehicle charging station; separate shop facilities for electronics fabrication, machining, and welding; AC and DC bus lines, and 24 locking high-power outlets to accommodate future EV charging components or renewable energy systems. The VTIF site also provides a south-facing, secure test pad for multiple concurrent light and heavy vehicle thermal soak tests and stationary HVAC load tests. At 10,000 square feet, the test pad can accommodate thermal testing of up to six Class 8 trucks. Designed to LEED Gold standards, though the client did not pursue certification, the VTIF incorporates sustainable features, including daylighting, increased insulation in the prefabricated walls and roof panels, and a solar wall, a passive exterior wall that pre-heats the outside air used for ventilation in winter thereby reducing the heating load on the building.
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is the primary tenant of Building 67, occupying approximately 90% of the 372,000-square-foot office building. Building 67 was built in 1967 and is comprised of 14 floors and a penthouse. The General Services Administration (GSA) was looking to consolidate employees within Building 67, and possibly relocate 50 to 100 employees from Building 56 into Building 67. A study was completed to review existing spaces and evaluate where layout and configuration options were possible in Building 67. As part of the study, 360 Engineering conducted a full building assessment of mechanical and plumbing systems.
Located in Southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park is known for its archeological sites and Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings. The park is open year-round and sees over 500,000 visitors annually. To meet the needs of guests and season staff members during the peak summer season, the National Park Service procured an Architectural and Engineering design team to upgrade and expand restroom facilities around the park.
The Hogan Comfort Station, used as restrooms and bathing facilities for seasonal employees, received upgrades to the roof, doors, finishes, fixtures, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Improvements to the Picnic Area Comfort Station, which had been closed for approximately ten years, included architectural, engineering, and site upgrades. Minor aesthetic upgrades and the addition of isolation valves for partial winterization were added to the Headquarters Restrooms.
Bright Angel, Grand Canyon National Park’s highest-volume trailhead, serves thousands of day hikers, overnight hikers, mule riders, shuttle bus riders, and rim walkers on a typical summer day. To better serve a higher visitor volume, this project implemented a variety of facility improvements, including a new plaza, visitor facilities, and sustainably designed comfort stations that minimize impacts on the fragile landscape.
360 Engineering designed mechanical and plumbing systems, using electric radiant heat to keep pipes from freezing for two new restroom buildings, a janitor’s room, and an exterior drinking fountain.
Part of the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri, the Truman Family Farm represents a 10-acre portion of the 600-acre farm purchased by Harry Truman’s maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, in 1867. A two-story, three-bay farmhouse built in 1894 in the center of the working farm is where the future President Truman lived and worked from the ages of 22 to 33 years old. Previously restored to its early twentieth-century appearance, the house features approximately 1,900 square feet of living space. The mission of Harry S Truman National Historic Site is to “preserve resources and interpret the broad life experience of President Truman.”
The project goal was to analyze and document conditions of the Truman Farm buildings and immediate landscape, as well as to provide suggestions on making the site a unified visitor experience. 360 Engineering prepared a Historic Structures Report (HSR) for the main farmhouse and two out-buildings based on analysis of existing mechanical and plumbing systems, including a geothermal system in the main house. The HSR correlated and documented all pertinent research for each structure and provided treatment options.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with multiple Divisions around the country, including one in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID) lab focuses on viral and bacterial diseases transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas, providing diagnostic assistance for samples received from around the world. The lab facilities are specialized, to support research, and ensure biological safety.
This project was a buildout of shelled space for the 1st and 2nd floors within Building 401. It was initially designed to be a laboratory space with 100% outside air and exhaust. The design worked within the existing mechanical infrastructure to convert the space to offices. Project challenges included maintaining the proper air pressure relationships between the office space and adjacent laboratory spaces. The use of air-locks between areas was utilized for maintaining correct pressure levels between the spaces. Air balancing and coordination with the building automation system was required to open/close dampers based on operating modes of the building, including occupied, unoccupied, and emergency modes.
At the northern tip of Wisconsin, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore consists of 21 islands and 12 miles of nearby Lake Superior shoreline. Nine lighthouses line the shore, casting their beams of light onto the vast lake. For the rehabilitation and renovation of seven of these historic lighthouses — on Long Island, Sand Island, Outer Island, Michigan Island, and Devils Island – 360 Engineering provided design for all new mechanical systems.
To meet the stringent requirements of the net-zero energy buildings, the design incorporated sustainable features such as running the ventilation for humidity control, which maintains structural integrity with a combination of direct current (DC) power, solar power, and battery.
