Projects Archives - Page 7 of 9

Penn State – Recreation Hall Energy Study + Implementation

The Penn State Energy Savings Program (ESP) team identified Recreation Hall as a facility with potential to yield significant energy savings and developed a list of preliminary Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). Penn State’s historic field house, Recreation Hall, was constructed in 1929 with additions in 1950, 1963, and 2005.

Precis was asked to perform an energy evaluation that would validate and expand upon Penn State’s preliminary list of ECMs. The study aimed to quantify potential energy savings in order to identify funding for major mechanical maintenance activities. Precis evaluated the building’s energy use and identified and quantified energy conservation opportunities related to the HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems. Precis then provided order-of-magnitude cost-benefit analyses to facilitate prioritization of the opportunities. The energy study identified over 30 ECMs. Of those, 10 were selected to move forward into the design phase.

Precis provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design services to implement ECMs. The projects included converting an existing squash court in the Kinesiology building to a mechanical room containing new campus-to-building chilled water heat exchangers and pumps; routing campus and building chilled water, heating hot water, and domestic water piping underground between Recreation Hall and the adjacent Kinesiology building; removing an air-cooled chiller and connecting associated loads to campus chilled water; adding a chilled water return temperature sensor to more accurately measure system return conditions; converting four air-handling units (AHUs) from a single-zone, constant air volume (CAV) to single-zone variable air volume (VAV) system with demand-controlled ventilation; providing one-third/two-third control valves for the steam to hot water heat exchanger for better control during low loads; removing humidification from one AHU for steam energy reduction; replacing three-way control valves with two-way control valves to reduce pumping energy; and adding outside airflow monitoring on existing systems to allow for implementation of demand-controlled ventilation.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – Compounding Pharmacies

Precis was tasked with the design of renovations to multiple compounding pharmacies in five locations for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The renovations were required to support compliance with the updated USP 795 Non-Sterile Preparations, USP 797 Sterile Preparations, and USP 800 Hazardous Drugs guidelines.

The renovated pharmacies included three in the Main Hospital, two in the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, one in the Wood Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, one in the King of Prussia Specialty Care & Surgery Center, and one in the Voorhees Specialty Care & Surgery Center.

Pharmacy spaces included sterile low, medium, and high-risk non-hazardous compounding; hazardous drug and gene therapy compounding; non-sterile hazardous compounding; oral compounding; Investigational Drugs Services (IDS) space; and accommodations for Riva robotic IV automation compounding systems.

Ancillary spaces included receiving work rooms with refrigerators, freezers, and pyxis; C2 safe/pyxis areas; quarantine, IV storage, general storage, high-density rolling storage, and high-density automated vertical storage; anesthesia prep work rooms; holding rooms and ante rooms; order entry, office, audit, purchasing, and staff support areas. In the Voorhees facility, the scope also included design of a temporary pharmacy to be used during renovations to the permanent pharmacy.

Duke University – Nasher Museum of Art Humidification System Upgrade

Built in 2005, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University is a major center for the arts in Durham. In 2015, the museum was removed from plant steam, heating hot water and domestic hot water were upgraded to natural gas-fired equipment, and the humidification system was retrofitted with electric steam boilers. The boilers generate low-pressure steam, which in turn feeds four steam-to-steam humidification steam generators within the mechanical room.

Duke engaged Precis for evaluation of options and design and implementation of a new humidification system to upgrade the aging humidification system. The design solution demolished the existing steam boilers and support infrastructure and replaced the steam-to-steam generators with new electric steam generators. Design for the new base building system provides 700 pounds per hour of humidification with all new controls. The new system ensures relative humidity setpoints remain consistent for the preservation of artwork and artifacts contained in the museum.

Elon University – North Loop Chilled Water Expansion

Elon University serves 7,000 students from a historic, 690-acre campus in central North Carolina. The university wanted to connect three independent chilled water systems that serve the Global Neighborhood, Mosely Center/Lakeside Dining Hall, and Inman Admission Building into one common system – the North Loop. The chilled water systems serving the Center for the Arts and Koury Athletic Center are planned to be incorporated into the North Loop in a future phase of work.

Precis was engaged to design an integrated chilled water system to enhance the flexibility of each building’s cooling systems by establishing a common loop to which each building can reject heat. The solution affords Elon ability to shut down power to a building or streamline maintenance to a chiller or tower without sacrificing cooling to the respective building. The combined system will decrease overall energy consumption by efficiently staging chillers on and off, adjusting pumping power, and resetting condenser water setpoints to meet demand.

Precis completed a laser scan of one of the more congested mechanical rooms to develop a 3D point cloud model and CAD files that capture existing conditions for clash detection and accuracy. Precis also designed the integration of new controls instrumentation with existing control systems for communication with a single front end. The design solution optimizes the central chilled water system to reduce energy consumption, improve flexibility, and increase redundancy. Phase 1 construction begins in 2025.

BSL-3 Laboratory Upgrade

A confidential client needed to reactivate an existing laboratory suite built in 1990. Designed as a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) facility, it is approximately 1,100 sf in area. Existing features included a pass-through autoclave, separate gown-in and gown-out airlocks, and a dedicated air handler and exhaust system (providing once-through air).

In support of the BSL-3 laboratory upgrade, Precis completed a gap assessment to better understand what would be required to convert the existing lab into a compliant BSL-3 facility and then provided design engineering services to complete the proposed renovation. Existing equipment was leveraged as much as possible to minimize cost and schedule impact, while maintaining strict adherence to personnel safety and laboratory contaminant design criterion. A customized engineering solution was developed to maintain the existing historical building glazing detail while creating a fully contained bioseal within the laboratory. Project highlights included a full BSL-3 certified lab space with separate pods to allow for multiple research functions, adherence to an aggressive schedule, and coordination utilizing a BIM model.

Master Plan Design + Construction

Precis was involved in campus master planning efforts for a confidential client. The scope involved evaluation, renovations, and replacements within three separate buildings on the site. The project included laboratory, warehouse, controlled-temperature storage, cGMP quality operations lab facilities, and a cell banking suite, along with significant utility infrastructure replacements and upgrades.

The project involved a complete master planning effort and basis of design development with support from site personnel to determine the overall programming and utility needs to capture initial funding. This effort included value engineering efforts with support from a construction management team to adjust architectural and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) system design parameters to meet the client’s budget allowance.

The detailed design efforts included the mechanical design of several new air handling units, boiler systems, upgraded chilled water systems, and full distribution of plumbing water and gas systems. The electrical design included two complete building electrical service replacements, including redundancy within the utility side distribution as well as new paralleled generator systems with automatic load shedding. Full MEP distribution of power, lighting, lab gases, air, and monitoring were included throughout the spaces.

In addition to meeting stringent client and FDA requirements, the project scope involved operationally active buildings producing medicine and storing product. Project scheduling, shutdown coordination, and phased renovations were required to limit site disruption. During construction, the Precis team was involved in each stage from submittal review and client coordination to on-site testing and ongoing field support. Throughout the three-year process, which occurred during the Covid pandemic, Precis maintained the same MEP/FP engineering team from concept through construction completion.

Penn State – Beaver Stadium Maintenance Evaluation + Renovations

Precis worked with Stahl Sheaffer Engineering, LLC to perform a comprehensive maintenance evaluation on existing mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, and electrical systems within Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the nation. The purpose of this evaluation was to assist Penn State in planning, prioritizing, and budgeting for ongoing maintenance activities and replacement of major equipment and systems.

Precis inventoried and assessed the HVAC units, chillers, and unit heaters; steam and condensate systems, including pumps, valves, fittings, and hangers; supply and exhaust fans associated with the scoreboards; plumbing and sanitary systems, including fixtures, piping, pumps, valves, and hangers; electrical service feeding the A/V systems, light fixtures, emergency lighting, and branch circuits feeding the field lighting; water heaters; gas service distribution and units; electrical panels; compressors; walk-in coolers and refrigeration equipment; hard-plumbed icemakers in the suits and foodservice areas; fire alarm system; lightning protection system; and fire suppression and standpipe systems, including fire pumps, backflow preventers, kitchen hood suppression, and clean agent systems.

The Precis scope of work included performing detailed external visual inspections of each of the systems, discussing the systems with on-site personnel, and reviewing existing record drawings. Precis prepared a narrative for each of the systems, documenting the findings of the assessment including recommendations for maintenance, repair, or replacement.

Following the maintenance evaluation, Precis remains engaged for architectural and engineering design support to implement various maintenance activities, energy studies, and improvement projects. Projects have included a comprehensive natural gas distribution system survey, as-built documentation, capacity analysis, and service upgrade; a comprehensive unit heater energy study, replacements, and upgrades; comprehensive stadium winterization; chilled water system replacement and upgrade; various restroom, concession stand, and kitchen renovations; central domestic water booster pump replacement and upgrade; and replacement of domestic water and sprinkler piping distribution systems.

Princeton University – Steam to Hot Water Conversion Group 3

Princeton University tasked Precis with the sizing and specification of systems required to convert existing steam heating and humidification systems to work with new campus low-temperature hot water distribution for the Shultz and Moffett Laboratory buildings and the Scully Hall dormitory. Precis worked with Princeton’s construction management partner under a design-build contract to generate conceptual designs, including architectural renderings and shadow analysis, and cost estimates for various rooftop and mechanical penthouse air-handling and heat-transfer system configurations and options that would accommodate construction phasing, future system expansion, redundancy, architectural screening, and maintenance access requirements.

The new systems include heat exchangers for low-temperature heating hot water and domestic hot water along with associated pumps, coil replacements, valence unit replacements, piping distribution, controls, and modifications to the existing steam systems. The design also required coordination of the project scope with a number of other ongoing projects in the Schultz and Moffett Laboratory buildings, including enabling work for the new Schmidt Hall building, an emergency/standby generator, and associated power system upgrade.

ForDoz Pharma – Sterile Biopharm Manufacturing Facility

ForDoz Pharma is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative complex injectables for patients with severe and chronic diseases.

Precis completed the design of a new process-intensive biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Central New Jersey. The project consisted of the partial demolition of an existing structure and creation of a new multi-level building to provide space for process equipment and new central utilities. The facility incorporates all functions necessary for sterile production, including warehousing, filling, and packaging. The processing areas are composed of pre-engineered cleanroom modular panels with walkable ceilings. The process rooms house multiple compounding systems which are followed by a fill line isolator and lyophilizers. Additional future processing spaces were integrated into the layout. All new central utilities, including new electrical service, backup generator, steam, chilled water, and clean utilities, were added as part of the project scope.

Temple University – Engineering Services

Precis was tasked with several air-handling unit (AHU) upgrades across the Temple University campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In Mitten Hall, Precis designed the replacement of two individual air-handling units (AHU-4 and AHU-5) with a semi-custom 10,000-CFM AHU located in an existing first-floor mechanical room with a new modular indoor central station air handler with direct digital controls (DDC). The Siemens Building Automation System (BAS) serving the area was upgraded to full BACnet compliance. New ductwork was provided within the mechanical room and transitioned up to the newly installed air distribution system. The unused and abandoned mechanical and electrical equipment was removed and a new caged area, in place of AHU-5, was provided to contain custodial equipment, supplies, and a new utility sink.

In the New Dental School, Precis designed the replacement of a single air-handling unit (AHU-1) with a roof-mounted, custom outdoor central AHU with approximately 160K cubic feet/minute (CFM) per deck and service corridors. The new AHU includes glycol preheat coils fully capable of supporting the load without energy recovery. A steam-to-glycol heating package was designed, with the glycol used for any unit heaters within the air handler. The scope included new DDC HVAC controls and integration into the existing facility management system (IFMS).

In Gladfelter Hall, 10 individual air-conditioning (AC) units serving the second through 11th floors were replaced with a single rooftop-mounted AHU in the previous location of the cooling towers. It contained a custom 100K CFM outdoor central station AHU with service corridors. The mechanical rooms containing the AC units function as ductwork and pipe chases to serve the core areas of those floors.