Solutions for Contractors
Below you will find real life problems Allen Consulting has solved for a number of its clients. You’ll also find services performed for contractors and samples of completed projects.
Solutions
Nature of Service Provided
| Problem | Solution |
| “We are starting a project, and want a commissioning engineer on our team. We believe we can do the project quicker and for less cost by avoiding problems like systems that don’t perform as expected; equipment that’s hard to install, controls that don’t work, etc. Would you join our team?” | Commissioning: So far, so good. |
| “We’ve been asked to do a design-build project for a researcher who wants to build a laboratory with a specialized HVAC system. He knows what the system needs to do for his experiments. Would you design the laboratory systems to meet his needs?” | Performance Requirements Definition: Interviewed researcher and assistant, documented requirements in their words, then translated them into design engineering terms. Design Engineering: Designed the specialized laboratory HVAC systems including laminar-flow clean-air equipment hoods and fume hood systems. Designed laboratory gases and equipment chilled water piping systems. |
| “We have been asked to do a design-build project to renovate an existing office building, would you design the HVAC systems for us?” | Design Engineering: Interviewed occupants to determine satisfaction with existing systems, assessed existing systems, designed replacement systems for renovation project. |
| “We’ve been asked to commission a large heavy industrial building that is nearing completion. Would you manage the start-up and commissioning of the plant systems for us?” | Performance Qualification: Prepared test protocols and managed performance testing and tuning for HVAC and lighting. Corrected many environmental control and energy waste problems. |
| “We have a high-rise renovation project, and are proposing design changes to reduce cost. We need someone we trust to look at the design changes and alert us if any of them should not be made.” | Engineering Counseling: Performed a peer review of the changes made from original A/E design. Advised which changes were okay, which were not, and actions to take. |
| “Every time we start-up the large heating hot water system, the pressure relief valve opens, discharging hundreds of gallons of glycol. Would you help us figure out what’s happening and how to fix it?” | Solving Problems: Investigation showed that the expansion tanks were not large enough, but there was no space for larger tanks. A dynamic pressure control system was designed to increase the capacity of the existing tanks and solve the overpressure problem with minimal cost. |
“We have installed a 5MW standby generator system. The EPA won’t issue the permits and is barring us from running it.” |
Regulatory Compliance & Dispute Resolution: The EPA had requested specific documents. The owner and contractor had sent the wrong documents because they did not understand what was needed. Conversations with all concerned resulted in the correct documents being submitted and the permit was issued. |
SERVICES
Commissioning (aka: Validation, retro-commissioning, re-commissioning, Performance Management):
The following steps make up this work.
You can read about each on the About Performance Management page.
- Performance Requirements Definition
- Design Qualification
- Construction Qualification
- Energy/Utility Analysis
- Performance Qualification
- Performance Maintenance
- Performance Improvement Planning
Solving Problems: getting things to work right, determining the cause of a problem, devising the correction, supporting building technicians, simplifying the complex and difficult, elegant solutions
Engineering Counseling: value engineering, design qualification, peer reviews, general engineering advice, being your engineer
Economic/Financial Analysis: project value, payback, rate of return, scenario comparisons, ensuring your money is well spent
Regulatory Compliance: public safety, building departments, environmental
Design Leadership: leading the design process for your design-build project
Design Engineering: mechanical, HVAC, piping, laboratory systems, specialized equipment, industrial ventilation
Dispute Resolution: listening, investigating, objective third party opinions
PROJECTS
Laboratories
8 St. Mary’s
Project Type: Laboratory fit-out
Use: Laser laboratory
Service provided: Mechanical design engineering
Major systems: VAV laboratory exhaust and make-up air, clean air system, process chilled water, laboratory gases.
32 Wiggins L-Labs
Project type: Laboratory fit-out
Use: Laboratory
Services provided: Mechanical design engineering.
Major systems: Flammable, noxious and corrosive fume exhaust systems.
45 & 75 Sidney
Project Type: Laboratory fit-out
Use: Animal care facilities, pharmaceutical R&D laboratories (drug discovery & biology), autoclave and rack wash facilities,
Building: 2 buildings, both 5 stories, 275,000 sf.
Service provided: Construction Qualification (MEP/FP)
Major systems: Barrier animal care facility HVAC, VAV laboratory exhaust and make-up air, high and low pressure steam, flammable materials storage spaces, laboratory waste handling and pretreatment, chilled water, hot water, laboratory plumbing, comfort HVAC, lighting and power, RODI water, gray water recycling
.
75 Wiggins
Project type: Renovation
Use: Industrial - machine shops, plastic manufacturing test labs, process machine build & test labs, and offices.
Building: Single story; 31,000 sf.
Services provided: Project management, Mechanical design engineering
Major systems: roof-top DX cooled, gas fired air handling units, compressed air, typical fire protection sprinklers, fire alarm, lighting, power, and domestic plumbing.
350 Plantation
Project type: Assessment
Use: Biological laboratories and offices
Building size: single story, 11,000 sf.
Services provided: MEP/FP systems survey
Major systems: Roof-top DX cooled, gas heated air-handler, typical fire protection sprinklers, fire alarm, lighting, power, and domestic plumbing.
PROJECTS
Commercial
361 East Broad
Project Type: High rise historic hotel renovation
Use: Mixed - residence and retail
Building: 3 buildings, 2, 4 & 10 stories, 137,000 sf.
Service provided: Design Qualification & Construction Qualification
Major systems: Split AC systems, fire protection sprinklers, fire alarm, lighting, power, domestic plumbing, high rise smoke control, and emergency power generator
500 Atlantic
Project type: New high-rise building
Use: Mixed - luxury hotel, restaurants, retail, indoor pool, health club, residences & parking
Building: 20 stories up, 3 stories down, 700,000 sf.
Service provided: Construction Qualification (MEP/FP)
Major building systems: energy recovery dedicated outdoor air & exhaust units, steam absorption chillers, domestic plumbing, fire alarm, lighting, power, high-medium-low pressure steam systems, hot & chilled water heating and cooling, fire protection sprinklers, steam domestic & HVAC water heating
601 Edgewater
Project type: New office core & shell
Use: offices
Building size: 5 stories, 172,500 sf.
Services provided: Construction Qualification (MEP/FP)
Major systems: VAV roof-top DX cooled, gas heated air-handlers, typical fire protection sprinklers, fire alarm, lighting, power, and domestic plumbing.
525 Okeechobee
Project Type: New high-rise building
Use: Mixed - offices, parking, retail.
Building: 16 stories, 325,000 sf.
Service provided: Construction Qualification (MEP/FP) Commissioning protocols for life-safety systems.
Major systems: water cooled packaged AC units on each office floor and related condenser water system, high rise smoke control systems, fire protection sprinklers, fire alarm, lighting, power, domestic plumbing, and whole building standby power generation system
25 Buick
Project Type: Renovation
Use: Offices
Building: 2 stories, 17,000 sf. (project area)
Service provided: Mechanical design engineering
Major building systems: VAV DX cooled, steam heated packaged air handling unit for one floor, VAV air distribution systems for both floors, exhaust systems.
PROJECTS
Industrial
64 Jackson
Project type: New heavy industrial building
Use: Metal processing, manufacturing support laboratories and offices.
Building: single story, 354,000 sf.
Service provided: Performance Qualification, remedial engineering.
Major systems: process piping, chilled water system, hot water system, comfort and process HVAC systems, compressed air systems, electrical power systems.
3 Borinsky
Project Type: Manufacturing capacity expansion and improvement, existing building.
Use: Industrial - pharmaceutical product manufacturing and offices.
Services provided: Project management, Mechanical design engineering, building commissioning & process validation management.
Major systems: Proprietary manufacturing process equipment; dust collection, fume extraction & scrubber, process wastewater pre-treatment
186 Middlesex
Project type: Renovation of existing warehouse
Use: distribution warehouse and offices
Building: Single story, 109,000 sf.
Services provided: Project management, conveying systems design, commissioning and validation.
Major systems: automated conveyor system, cold storage, roof-top DX cooled, gas fired air handling unit, warehouse workflow enhancements.
Poors Ford Road
Project type: New heavy industrial building
Use: Metal processing, manufacturing support laboratories and offices.
Building: Single story, 207,000 sf.
Services provided: Project management, dust collection design, conveying systems design, heavy equipment installation management, scrap handling systems.
Major systems: automated storage & retrieval system, material handling robots, automated metal scrap handling, roof-top DX cooled, gas fired air handling units, manufacturing work cell development.
What would
you like to do?
- Learn more about Commissioning & Building Performance Management
- Get help with a problem
- Get an answer to a question
- Learn about Allen Consulting, LLC.
For additional information, call or write to Allen Consulting.
