Challenge:
Plans for the new student union consisted of general office and faculty conference spaces on the upper levels, with a three-zone multi-purpose assembly hall, entertainment café, auditorium, four kitchen/cafeteria spaces, bookstore, and general public spaces. It was a significant investment for the university, and the team wanted to be certain that implementation went according to plan.
Approach:
Project scope included design review, construction inspections, and functional testing of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life safety systems. Some of the unique systems include the following:
- Two air handling units (AHUs) that serve the entire building and a common header. This allows the AHUs to stage on and off as needed for varied loads.
- Variable speed exhaust systems to control exhaust and make-up CFM to meet the cooking load under each hood.
- Occupancy and CO2 sensor control of local variable air volume (VAV) boxes.
- A heat recovery water-to-water chiller heat pump system that serves process loop (water cooled condensers for the kitchen coolers/freezers, and heat pumps for several data closets and electrical rooms).
- Theatrical lighting controls for the entertainment café, auditorium, and multi-purpose spaces, enabling programmable preset scenes and individual dimming control.
- A combination of local manual dimming control of LED fixtures, as well as energy-efficient occupancy sensor and daylight harvesting in most individual spaces.
Outcome:
The 204,000 square-foot facility was turned over to the university in September of 2016, and ready for student occupancy by the summer of 2017. The project was awarded a LEED Gold rating.
