High-Profile: M/E/P - Building Energy supplement 2015

Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015

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Annual Supplement:

M/E/P - Building Energy

N E W E N G L A N D FA C I L I T I E S D E V E L O P M E N T N E W S

2015

New central utility steam boiler and chiller plant for Concord Hospital Campus page 11

photo: Fitzemeyer & Tocci

Heating hot water and chilled water piping at E Ink

INDUSTRY EXPERT ARTICLES

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John Cannistraro Jr.

Hugh Kelleher

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Charles Hopkins

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Matthew Guarracino

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March 2015

It’s Worth Our Energy

Help ‘Greenovate’ Boston

by John Cannistraro Jr.

IS YOUR WATER TREATMENT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE? Gurney Water Treatment NE

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has extensive experience in designing and maintaining highly effective custom treatment programs for industrial, commercial, and institutional process and comfort cooling and heating systems.

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Promoting the Mechanical Contracting Industry for

125 We offer membership within the Mechanical Contractors Association, Mechanical Service Contractors Association, and the National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau. We support our member contractors through our educational seminars, labor and government relations, industry news and marketing.

Committed to the future of our industry, we sponsor MCA student chapters at Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Our affiliation with the Mechanical Contractors Association of America and our strong, cooperative relationship with the United Association enable us to offer our members numerous opportunities to build lasting, beneficial relationships with peers while acquiring the business knowledge and tools to keep their company successful.

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Snowstorms aside, there’s no doubt that Boston has been lucky over the past year or two.

Our city rebounded from the recession unlike any city in America, and the John Cannistraro Jr. proof is evident in the dozens of cranes operating from the Innovation District to Kendall Square to Somerville.

Construction in Boston is booming thanks to resident demand for urban living, and the prospect of a 2024 Boston Olympics only adds more opportunities for sustained growth in the industry. As the city’s population increases and the urban landscape continues to change, it is increasingly important to think about the impact and/or unintended consequences of our work.

With that thought in mind, I encourage the design and construction community to join us in supporting the efforts to “greenovate” Boston. Last month at an official launch of the city’s new Climate Action Plan, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh mapped out an aggressive, yet attainable, path toward changing the way Boston thinks about energy. The mayor’s plan sets targets that include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting healthier communities, and planning for the impacts of climate change; all within a measurable, open-book approach. For the A/E/C industry, this means a renewed commitment to sustainability and energy

efficiency. Recognizing that mechanical systems can account for as much as 40% to 50% of a building’s energy usage, we at Cannistraro are exploring new ways to help our clients monitor and reduce energy consumption every day. Internally — at our Watertown offices — plans are in the works for our company’s inaugural

I encourage the design and construction community to join us in supporting the efforts to “greenovate” Boston.

“Greenovate Cannistraro” week, where we’ll ask employees to share the ways that they live green, and encourage them to help us reduce our corporate carbon footprint.

Engaging the businesses and residents to buy in and get involved may be the toughest challenge facing the mayor’s Climate Action Plan. At the very least, each and every one of us can play a part in making Boston a greener place by simply spreading the word about what the city is trying to do. It is those of us who live and work here that have the most influence, so let’s use our relationships to keep the city moving forward. Then, when the international spotlight shines down on Boston, our collective achievements as both a city and community can be lauded on a truly global stage.

John Cannistraro Jr. is the president of J.C. Cannistraro, LLC, in Watertown, Massachusetts.

The Energy Conservatory Webinar The Energy Conservatory will host the webinar, “TEC and RED Code and Standards Update,” on Wednesday, March 25, at 1 p.m. Central Time. Half of this webinar will focus on IECC and the other half on ASHRAE 62.2. Participants will be eligible for up to 1.5 BPI CEUs. Register now! Due to the increased popularity of our webinars, we have made some adjustments to accommodate as many participants as possible. When you register for a TEC webinar, you will now receive an email notification that your registration is pending approval. If the webinar is not full, your registration will be approved. Once the webinar is full, those registrants who are still waiting for approval will receive an email notification that the webinar is full and that their registration cannot be approved.

If you register for a webinar and

receive a notification that it is full and your registration cannot be approved, you will receive a follow-up email with further instructions. You also will be added to the wait list in case a spot opens.

If your registration is approved, be sure to join the webinar early to secure your spot, since attendance is limited.

If you try to join the webinar and can’t because it’s full, please send an email to ktanner@energyconservatory.com to receive further instructions. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please be assured we are doing everything we can to make sure you can still participate in the webinar and receive CEUs (if offered).

Lastly, if your registration is approved and you are unable to attend the webinar, please send an email to ktanner@ energyconservatory.com asking that your registration be canceled, so someone on the wait list can take your spot.

Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015

PHOTO: ZAPOTEC ENERGY, INC.

EASTERN NEW ENGLAND SETS ITS SITES ON QUALITY AND SAFETY IN ELECTRICAL AND TELECOM CONSTRUCTION. NECA and IBEW set the standard for excellence in electrical, telecom, and renewable energy projects throughout Eastern New England.

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Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

MFA Boston, The Art of the Americas Wing

Courthouse Station, Silver Line, Boston, MA

Leonard P. Zakim Bridge

In the world of construction, quality and safety are critical to every project. Which is why leading architects, general contractors, building owners, and facility managers throughout Eastern New England rely on the skilled union electricians of Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the professional electrical contractors of the Greater Boston Chapter of the National

Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

For more than a century, IBEW and NECA have literally helped build our region. From our most cherished historical sites and renowned educational institutions, to major transportation projects, leading technology companies, community schools, and libraries, our landmarks shed light on a century of electrical construction unsurpassed in quality.

MIT Stata Center and Building 57

JATC Training Center/Wind Turbine, Boston, MA

Take a close look at just a few of the recently completed projects by NECA Greater Boston Chapter members. It will tell you where to turn for the highest standards in electrical, telecom, and renewable energy construction.

Rely on the power of quality electrical work.

Call 1-877-NECA-IBEW for a complete directory of NECA Greater Boston Chapter Members, or visit us at www.bostonneca.org

The future of renewable energy and green buildings is here.

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(877)NECA-IBEW (632-2423)

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March 2015

The Mechanical Trades: An Update

by Hugh Kelleher

A couple of major trends are taking place in the mechanical trades in Boston, and they are important to understand.

The first involves innovation.

Thirty years ago, on Hugh Kelleher a large-scale commercial plumbing job, you would hear the plumbers say: “Plumbing is plumbing.”

There was a sense that the trade would continue to be what it had been, more or less, since the days of the Romans when the Latin plumbum, the word for lead — gave the trade its name.

In the many hundreds of years since the Romans, the trade had indeed introduced a few innovations. By the 20th century, we were no longer using lead pipes to transport water. Cast iron drainage piping became common, and by the late years of the century various forms of plastic, including PVC and PEX, had been introduced.

Yet the trade remained essentially the same. Plumbers went out to jobs, cut holes in studs, and soldered, clamped, or glued systems together.

It was the digital revolution that

caused things to change in a dramatic way. You see the innovations particularly on commercial jobs where buildings are now being fully designed back at the shop where pipe is then being cut and fabricated. Whole batteries of fixtures are now being put together under controlled conditions, before being lifted by cranes and popped in place.

Perhaps even more striking are jobsite innovations such as the use of the Trimble system, which allows the folks back at the

21st century would be doing layout, they would have looked back at you with a very puzzled expression.

The second major trend in the mechanical trades — and to a larger extent, the building trades in general — is the growing shortage of skilled workers.

Decades of an educational system that placed an emphasis on “going to college” had given the trades a bad rap. Few students leaving high school had been told that among their options is joining a

A couple of major trends are taking place in the mechanical trades in Boston, and they are important to understand. office to determine the precise location of hangers and cores. Data is sent wirelessly out to the job, downloaded into the Trimble, and locations for those hangers and holes are identified and marked in a matter of minutes. It is a very far cry from the days when we used plumb bobs and chalk lines on the floor to fix our locations. If you had a told a plumber three decades ago that this would be the way apprentices and journeymen in the

union apprentice program, where if you worked hard, after five years you could be earning a six-figure income. Instead of being tens of thousands of dollars in debt from obtaining a college degree, a skilled craftsperson today has opportunities that often exceed those with BAs. This is not to say that college is not useful. Indeed, we are finding that more and more of those who are joining the trades arrive with some advanced

education. For instance, in recent years, during the Local #12 application process there has been at least one law school graduate. Even at the high school level, we are seeing a renewed appreciation for the importance of our vocational schools.

What is becoming apparent is that the coming retirement of Baby Boomers is opening up a whole set of employment opportunities for those willing to take on the challenges of learning a mechanical trade in the 21st century. Increasingly, there are shortages in various parts of the country of skilled plumbers and electricians.

In the years to come, the mechanical trades will take on a whole new look. And we’ll be looking for smart, hard-working young people who are ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that the building trades can offer.

There is a Willie Nelson song: “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys.” For years, the American educational system sang a similar tune: “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be plumbers (or electricians, or carpenters, etc.).”

That tune is changing.

Hugh Kelleher is the executive director of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association of Greater Boston.

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March 2015

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J&M Brown Completes Old South Church Electrical Renovation

Old South Church

Jamaica Plain, MA – J&M Brown Company, Inc. based in Jamaica Plain, has completed the comprehensive, multiphase electrical systems’ renovation at the historic Old South Church at 645 Boylston Street in Boston.

The project scope, which coincided with the complete upgrade of the building’s mechanical systems, entailed

replacement of the church’s electrical, fire alarm, security, tel/data, HVAC, elevator, and sprinkler systems. JMB’s construction of a new electrical room and electrical distribution system were integral to the project.

Preconstruction planning was critical to the project, as J&M Brown teamed with general contractor Consigli Construction

Interior view

of Boston and electrical engineering firm Syska Hennessy Group of Cambridge to ensure that the historic building’s structural integrity and interior finishes were not adversely impacted during construction.

Project manager Steve Cabral and general foreman Tom Campbell headed the JMB project team, composed of a field

crew of 10 IBEW Local 103 electricians and technicians.

A highlight of the renovation was J&M Brown’s restoration of 18 historic chandeliers dating back to the turn of the century. Spectrum Integrated Technologies, the low voltage division of J&M Brown, provided both tel/data and security system installations.

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Introducing a personalized blueprint for your building’s efficiency

March 2015

Schneider Electric at 101Seaport

Your job is complicated by the growing pressure to operate efficiently and reduce energy use to protect your building’s financial future.

SmartStruxure™ solution from Schneider Electric™ simplifies your job by delivering actionable information when, where, and how you want it.

Now you can optimize your energy consumption, maintain a comfortable and productive environment, and update ageing facilities — all while saving up to 30% on your energy costs.

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> User-friendly system: Personalized user interface for anytime, anywhere access to your building systems. > A smart investment: A scalable system based on open protocols so you’re ready for today and prepared for the future. > Optimized building performance: Maintain facility comfort and increase facility value by turning data into decisions.

New England Office Boston ONE Campus, 800 Federal Street Andover, MA 01810 Tele: 978-794-0800 www.schneider-electric.com ©2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric and SmartStruxure are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners

101 Seaport Boulevard

Boston – Schneider Electric and its subcontractors have been tasked with the implementation of a multidisciplinary building automation system that will ensure building energy savings, thermal comfort, and occupant safety at 101 Seaport Boulevard in Boston.

Active chilled beams, massive air handling units, high-efficiency centrifugal chillers, and a staged boiler system are just some of the equipment that Schneider Electric’s system will control in the 18-story office building in Boston’s rapidly expanding Seaport District.

With the goal of LEED Platinum certification, the robust new automation system is essential in meeting the energy

management demands and HVAC control sequences developed by WSP’s mechanical engineers.

Tenant metering and an easy-tonavigate graphical user interface will ensure that building managers are equipped to handle the demands of a multitenant building, including those from an international consulting firm that will occupy 75% of the space.

In addition to HVAC control, the new electric system installed by J.M. Electrical will be responsible for smoke purge sequencing during a fire alarm event, which requires the highest levels of network reliabilit

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Mark Call

Ravi Kuchibhotla

Boston – Parsons Brinckerhoff recently announced two additions to its Boston office.

Mark Call has been named a supervising construction engineer.

In his new position, he will provide construction management services for the South Essex Sewerage District, supervising construction work on two sewer pipelines under Salem Harbor to ensure the work is done according to contract plans and specifications.

Call has nearly 40 years of experience managing the engineering and construction of infrastructure improvement projects.

Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, he was a construction manager with

a Massachusetts firm, serving as the owner’s representative on the Downtown Quincy project. He previously served as director of public works for the City of Framingham and was director of construction for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.

Ravi Kuchibhotla has been named a senior supervising electrical engineer.

In his new position, he will serve as a project technical lead and direct the preparation of design documents for electrical power distribution systems on infrastructure and facilities projects.

Kuchibhotla has more than 30 years of electrical engineering and facilities engineering and construction experience with all types of facilities in various companies including General Electric, IBM, and others. Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, he was a senior electrical/energy engineer with a New York consulting firm, responsible for implementing energy conservation measures and designing electrical power systems at educational facilities, commercial buildings, and utility plants.

Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015

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MEC Under Way on Converse Fit-Out Maria Fallon Retrofits 160 Federal

Lovejoy Wharf / rendering by The Architectural Team

Boston – NECA Boston contractor McDonald Electrical Corp. (MEC) of Hingham is under way with the fasttrack, electrical tenant fit-out project for Converse, Inc.’s new corporate world headquarters building located at revitalized Lovejoy Wharf in Boston.

The project team includes Shawmut Design and Construction of Boston, general contractor; The Architectural Team of Chelsea and Jennifer Carpenter Architect of New York and Boston, architects; and RDK Engineers of Boston, electrical engineers.

The project at the Converse facility, a former Schrafft’s warehouse undergoing complete renovation, entails MEC’s comprehensive installations for 10 floors of office space and two mechanical floors.

Additionally, the contractor is providing installations in Converse’s new, stand-alone, two-story, state-of-the-art recording studio overlooking the Charles River.

MEC commenced work on the project in mid-September 2014 and is on track to meet the aggressive project schedule, as Converse will take occupancy in spring 2015.

McDonald’s scope includes installation of a new electrical distribution system and branch circuitry at the 200,000sf facility, as well as its uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and advanced Simplex fire alarm system. Project requirements also include installation of energy-efficient interior and exterior lighting and the state-of-the art Lutron lighting control system.

Boston, MA – At the historic 160 Federal Street building in downtown Boston, Maria Fallon Electrical Services, LLC, based in Westwood, is nearing completion of the building’s energy-efficiency lighting retrofit project.

The scope is comprised of renovating both exterior and interior lighting at the historic, 24-story Class A office building.

Maria Fallon Electrical is replacing the existing exterior façade lighting with LED fixtures, and retrofitting interior lighting in hallways and bathrooms with energy-efficient ballasts.

Bathrooms have also been equipped with occupancy sensors.

In total, the NECA Boston/IBEW signatory contractor is replacing over 500 fixtures, 205 of which are exterior LED floodlights that will illuminate the historic façade.

Maria Fallon Electrical, a minority and woman-owned business enterprise (MBE, WBE), commenced work on December 1 and completed all interior lighting installations and much of the exterior lighting project by the end of December to ensure the facility owner could take advantage of 2014 energy rebates.

To meet the aggressive project schedule, Fallon is supervising a field crew of IBEW Local 103 electricians.

160 Federal Street

Close coordination with property manager Taurus Management Services and the facility’s tenants was required in the fully occupied building.

ESCO Energy Services Company of Lenox, Mass. is serving as the project’s primary contractor.

WB Engineers+Consultants

Moody Named Principal Boston – David Bonifacic, managing principal and CEO of WB Engineers+Consultants, announced that Dan Moody, PE, LEED AP, has been named principal of Dan Moody the firm.

Founded in 1999, WB Engineers+Consultants is a mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology consulting firm.

Moody’s story with WB Engineers may not have started in a garage — but it was close. The second employee in the firm’s Boston office, Moody joined WB as an engineer and has been with the company for 15 years. During the first six months of his tenure, his office was a seat at founding principal Peter Dussault’s dining room table.

His first projects were for Verizon, a firm with high expectations for its

engineering consultants. He was so diligent about delivering projects on deadline and meeting Verizon’s business goals that, from the early days that the company was in business and ever since, Verizon has been one of WB’s loyal clients. Moody has managed over 350 projects for Verizon.

“It is a great part in WB’s story to be able to name Dan Moody a principal of the firm,” says Bonifacic.

Dussault adds, “Dan says what he is going to do and gets it done. When LEED accreditation first started to become something that was talked about in this industry. . . . he was one of the first to earn this credential.”

In his new leadership role, Moody will balance his new responsibilities with what he does best — managing project teams to solve engineering problems.

He also has taken on the additional responsibilities of mentoring staff and firm management.

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March 2015

Award-Winning Renovation

N.B. Kenney’s Mechanical Expertise

E Ink’s technical and administrative center in Billerica, Mass.

Billerica, MA – N.B. Kenney Company, Inc. was an integral part of the project team that undertook the renovation of E Ink’s technical and administrative center in Billerica that earned the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Excellence in Construction Eagle Award. The project involved consolidation of two existing buildings into one 140,000sf facility to meet the specific research and development needs of this electronic tablet producer.

N.B. Kenney was responsible for the extensive HVAC and process systems serving the electro-optics lab and the polymer synthesis area. The project’s unique and complex schedule required N.B. Kenney to make multiple design alterations during construction to satisfy the needs of the end user while working within the physical constraints of the building. The final result: an award-

Heating hot water and chilled water piping at E Ink.

winning project that combined engineered design with end user functionality.

“We are extremely proud of our work at E Ink’s Innovation Center,” said Robert Nims, executive vice president of N.B. Kenney.

The Weidt Group Expands to Boston Boston – The Weidt Group announced its expansion into the Boston Metro area, that marks its first office on the East Coast.

The Weidt Group works to address energy efficiency with greater speed and accuracy through its software and services to the state’s public and private sector organizations.

The firm will immediately bring its energy services to two major project wins secured for the state of Massachusetts.

Weidt will provide energy analysis on an existing terminal for the Massachusetts Port Authority, and has partnered with the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships and Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to develop the “Building Asset Rating” (BAR) pilot project.

This undertaking seeks to develop

and test new ways of assessing the energy performance of buildings using a standardized energy rating metric that more cost-effectively assists building owners in making informed energyefficiency decisions.

Asset ratings gauge a building’s energy consumption through as-built characteristics, including insulation, windows, and mechanical and electrical systems, among others.

Chris Baker, AIA, PE, BEMP, BEAP, LEED AP BD+C, business development leader of Energy Design Assistance for commercial new construction, will oversee the firm’s Boston operations as well as energy-efficient design efforts for the Massachusetts market.

Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015

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Pro and Con: Solar Air Heating Systems

by Charles Hopkins

When most think of solar energy, photovoltaics and solar thermal water heating come to mind. These are technologies that most large-scale projects consider at one point or Charles Hopkins another and are easily understood by project stakeholders.

However, what are the alternative options projects can investigate to cut energy bills and reduce our impact on the environment?

You may have already heard of solar air heating systems, also known as transpired solar collectors, a type of solar thermal technology that allows projects to preheat incoming air by installing a perforated metal cladding on the building skin. The tiny perforations allow air to be drawn in and heated via solar radiation before being directed to the building’s ventilation system. The dynamicity of the tech lies in its application flexibility, meaning that heated air can be brought in or used in a variety of ways. Most scenarios will see the air preheated and then ducted directly into the building or sent to a rooftop unit to assist in heat

recovery systems, although more basic instances can allow for the air to be passed directly through the building envelope to heat adjacent spaces.

Other benefits include shading: Cladding will shade exterior walls, reducing cooling load on hot summer days. There is also minimal maintenance, requiring little mechanical support aside from placing exterior wall and ventilation systems appropriately in order to draw in preheated air. From an occupant standpoint, it allows for increased air changes, leading to better indoor air quality and, thus, happier occupants. Operationally, typical transpired collectors function at 60% to 80% efficiency, creating a significant difference in terms of payback. Installed cost is relatively low ($14 to $17 per sf) offset from state incentives, depending on location.1 In Massachusetts, projects can qualify for the 30% federal solar tax credit and/or a 15% state tax exemption.

Typical payback is estimated to be four to seven years.

As with most solar applications, project type, orientation, and location play a key role in optimizing efficiency. Envelopes dominated by southern-facing exposures with significant surface area stand to gain the most from transpired collectors, whereas smaller commercial or residential

applications with limited envelope area and/or increased glazing may not be able to realize significant energy savings. As such, building orientation is paramount.

Project design will have to take into account not only building massing, but envelope as well — large vertical cladding systems do not offer much recourse for glazing and envelope openings, thereby reducing daylighting and access to views.

Thought should also be given to general programming within the building, as longer duct runs to occupied spaces will see increased heat loss, resulting in an overall drop in efficiency.

Lastly, the macro-massing of the site is critical, yet often overlooked. We recently reviewed the potential of solar preheating of air for a high-profile building in the Seaport area, but based upon the master plan, upcoming adjacent buildings would negate the solar potential. Additionally, detailed review of the cavity design, building massing to address snow drifts is required to ensure that outside air is always available to the building’s HVAC system during inclement weather.

One of the major hurdles transpired collectors face outside of general massing requirements is location — not all climates are ideal for transpired collectors,

Electrical Construction s Fire Alarm s Special Projects s Tel-Data/Security Systems

narrowing the potential market to those with colder climates located in higher latitudes in locations that experience colder months and sufficient sunlight, as outdoor air heating load is greater in these climates.2 Location aside, there are also architectural design considerations — collectors require a large amount of surface area and a darker surface to more efficiently capture solar radiation, both factors potentially inviting concerns over aesthetics from owners.

The bottom line? Transpired solar collectors still seem to be re-emerging technology, bound to specific climates and building types. Regardless, solar air collection is a simple, cost effective technology with great potential in the Northeast. Our longer, colder winters offer ample opportunity to reduce a typical heating bill using a transpired collector — even glare from snow can help increase efficiency.

That being said, not all building types can successfully implement solar air collectors. Top case studies highlighted buildings with larger masses: High-rise residential buildings, hospitals, warehouse/ distribution centers, and manufacturing centers are a few instances of projects continued to page 10 Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Fire Protection Commissioning Central Plants

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March 2015

Why Your Building Needs an Updated HVAC System

by Matthew Guarracino

Technology and innovation in energy and building management systems have opened up new pathways for creating innovative and necessary features of development, Matthew Guarracino such as an updated heating, ventilation, automation, and cooling system (HVAC system). Throughout the building process, owners and developers collaborate to make an array of choices ranging from renewable energy initiatives to demand response and distributed generation.

As building systems get older, they need more maintenance and run less efficiently, which can become pricier for the owner over time. Rather than keeping with the status quo, a better investment would be to upgrade the energy management system for a better ROI. The good news is that with technology options exploding over the last few years, and increasingly sophisticated systems evolving, it seems as though an inescapable trend across construction and repair industries will be to upgrade energy and HVAC systems in building structures. HVAC systems allow a building to maintain a desired working and living environment, while ensuring reliable and efficient delivery of

power. Demand control ventilation is an HVAC control used to supply the correct amount of heated or cooled air to certain areas, many with different requirements, occupancy levels, and environmental controls. This can be integrated into existing building control systems and negates the use for individualized manual controls, helping to keep energy usage levels stable while streamlining building management conditions. These controls, when integrated into the building management system, have also evolved to incorporate trending technology, and can be utilized to predict future use based on historical data of a certain facility, again negating wasteful spending and fluctuation.

Sophisticated automated HVAC controls are critical in living and working atmospheres, but even more so in the research and medical facilities sprouting up throughout Boston and Cambridge. As energy reliability is essential for ensuring smooth buildings operations without costly disruptions, they require innovative technology to handle their complicated energy, HVAC, and processing needs.

Automation controls are increasingly necessary in maintaining an environment that meets clinical, research, and regulatory requirements that preserve the sensitive nature of the work in the buildings, which is why it is important that contractors select the most advanced

systems for new projects.

In addition to the demand for energy efficiency, companies, residents, and building owners have made efforts to “go green” in recent years, and are making an increased effort to build more sustainablefriendly structures. Contractors fully anticipate this movement in the industry, and newer products are exhibiting the signs of change that accompany this movement. Many HVAC producers have started to supply greener models with newer technologies, and this trend will continue to evolve as the system’s efficiency does too. The newer the model, the better the end product will be for the consumer, so the demand will be present at least for the near future.

Energy audits and plans that identify

potential improvements in energy efficiency and renewable energy building structures continue to be an effective way to discover these opportunities for both immediate and long-term cost savings for building owners. These investments include not only installing energy-efficient controls, but also upgrading equipment and replacing energy-consuming equipment. Diligent project management from contractors and subcontractors is crucial when completing these projects.

When working in these larger facilities that will support a variety of different functions, all construction parties must emphasize that each individual area requires unique and specific expertise.

Matthew Guarracino is business development manager at J.M. Electrical Company Inc.

Pro and Con: Solar Air Heating Systems continued from page 9 that successfully implemented solar air collectors. With some forethought, solar air collectors stand to offer significant benefits and straightforward integration with larger-mass buildings interested in reaching their energy goals.

Charles Hopkins, LEED AP BD+C, is an energy engineer at Vanderweil Engineers.

1. S olar Air Heating. Product description. Atlas International.

2013.(http://www.atas.com/ products/walls/inspire-solar-air-heating/ inspire-wall#ProductInfo).

2.

Kozubal et al, “Evaluating the Performance and Economics of Transpired Solar Collectors for Commercial Applications.”

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. 2008 (https://www.aceee.org/files/ proceedings/2008/data/papers/3_107.pdf).

Energy-Reducing Measures in Skyscrapers

by David Arnold

The larger the building, the greater the amount of energy needed to provide comfort for the occupants and meet power demands of modern business. Buildings are typically replaced at a rate of 1% per year. However, large buildings tend to be kept in use longer, and even longer if they become national monuments. Older buildings also use more energy. For example, pre-1980 office buildings in the United States use 10% to 15% more energy on average than post-1980.

Once buildings are deemed to be landmark buildings, significant constraints are applied that restrict the options for saving energy, particularly if the measures affect the appearance. Given that the current horizons for reducing energy use extend to 2050 and that the majority of today’s buildings (and in some cases the mechanical systems), estimated at 60% to 75%, will still be in use at that time, it is important, if not more important, to focus attention on reducing energy use in existing buildings in order to cut CO2emissions and achieve sustainability, rather than new.

This article is about energy-reducing measures attempted and carried out in three large office buildings in Chicago.

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The buildings are all skyscrapers, and, by coincidence, Chicago is the city generally acknowledged to be where the first skyscraper, “The Home Insurance Building,” was built in 1885. Architects of the so-called “First Chicago School” pioneered the steel-frame construction necessary to build skyscrapers, largely used initially to construct large office buildings. Air-conditioning meant it was

era. Experience has shown, however, that overcoming the inherently poor standards of airtightness and thermal properties of buildings built post-World War II, particularly with curtain walling, makes achieving high standards of sustainability a very difficult task.

The three buildings in this article are of this vintage, and were first visited by the author in 2001 and 2003 as part of

The larger the building, the greater the amount of energy needed to provide comfort for the occupants and meet power demands of modern business.

Buildings are typically replaced at a rate of 1% per year. However, large buildings tend to be kept in use longer, and even longer if they become national monuments. no longer necessary to restrict the depth of the floors from windows in buildings to provide natural ventilation. It allowed architects to design much deeper floor plates and ignore the thermal properties of buildings; the use of curtain walling became endemic in new buildings of the

personal research on the length of service life of equipment in air-conditioned buildings. Chicago was selected due to the abundance of large air-conditioned buildings built in the 1950s and ’60s, many with their original systems. The Inland Steel Building and the Richard J. Daley

Center have been designated landmarks by the “Commission on Chicago Landmarks,” and as such are subject to constraints on alterations. The buildings were revisited in 2012, and during the intervening period many energy-saving measures had been attempted or applied to the buildings, in distinctly different ways, with different levels of intervention.

The air-conditioning systems for all three buildings were designed between the mid-’50s and the mid-’60s. The designs were typical of the era, well before the “first oil crisis” in the United States, and show little acknowledgement to the need to conserve energy. The systems have common energy-demanding techniques such as: 1) operating air and water distribution systems at a constant rate; 2) cooling air to below its dew-point temperature to dehumidify; and 3) high inlet pressures terminal units. The buildings continue to operate today with the original air-conditioning systems modified and retrofitted to reduce energy use.

David Arnold, Ph.D., is a partner at Troup Bywaters & Anders in Reading, U.K. He is chair of ASHRAE’s Historical Committee.

Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015

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Fitzemeyer & Tocci Leads Design Team for Hospital Utility Plant

The new central utility steam boiler and chiller plant fully supports the 750,000sf existing Concord Hospital campus / photos: Fitzemeyer & Tocci

Concord, NH – Concord Hospital selected Fitzemeyer & Tocci (F&T) to lead the design team for Concord Hospital’s new central utility plant. The F&T team coordinated the work of several consultants, while also working collaboratively with the hospital’s construction manager. F&T provided HVAC, plumbing, fire protection and electrical engineering design, and construction administration services for the new central utility plant. The project consisted of replacing the existing smaller plant with a new 9,000sf, two-level steam boiler and chiller plant. Lavallee Brensinger Architects was the project architect.

The new building was constructed

while keeping plant building No. 1 and the Concord Hospital fully operational at all times. It was requested that current equipment in the existing boiler room be reused and incorporated into the design

of the new plant. This included the main hospital’s condensate receiver and fuel oil pumping system. Utilizing Revit, the design team was able to closely coordinate the boilers and flue stack, boiler cat-walk, chillers, pumps, cooling towers, floor and trench drains, dry pipe sprinkler system, domestic water system, natural gas piping and meter, main electrical switchgear, panel boards, VFDs and major conduits, storm and sanitary waste piping. The existing pad-mounted transformer was reused and mounted on the roof on a specially preconstructed structural curb.

The design team, contractor, and owner

worked closely to locate service feeders to and from the transformer, avoiding interference with the large steam piping and boiler flue within the boiler room below. New electrical feeders were connected to the existing paralleling switchgear while minimizing impacts and disruptions to normal hospital operations.

The relocation of existing chillers and cooling towers was accomplished during the lower load periods of the year, and the cooling system was brought back up to full capacity in time to meet the peak demand season.

Wentworth MCA Makes Final Four Boston – MCAA recently notified New England MCA and the Wentworth MCA Student Chapter that they placed fourth nationally in the MCAA Student Chapter Competition. This means they will compete in the Final Four at the 2015 MCAA Convention in Maui, Hawaii.

The competition began at the 2014 MCAA Student Chapter Summit in Jersey City, N.J. The students worked on the project, University of California Davis — Segundo Student Services Center, during the course of their fall semester, meeting weekly and as needed at night after classes or co-ops.

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There were 24 entries in the competition from colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada.

New England MCA members and staff recently attended a rehearsal at Wentworth to critique their presentation and lend insight and experience.

Three of the five students presenting are doing co-op semesters with New England MCA member contractors.

The other finalists are: Rocky Mountain Chapter MCA – Colorado State University, McMaster MCA Student Chapter in Hamilton, Ontario and University of Washington MCA Student Chapter.

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Annual MEP Supplement

March 2015