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Benefit TMCx brought to the table: Phoenix Control valves scheduled on the plans did not have a specification or sequence of operation for the fume hood system anywhere in the contract documents. The design documents also failed to describe if or how the Phoenix Control system would interface with the campus LON Protocol BMS system. This was a major issue since Phoenix has a BACNet Protocol interface for connection to any 3rd party BMS. TMCx identified this deficiency of missing product specifications in their 95% CD design review phase of the project. This resulted in a number of meetings with the vendors to provide a specification before the project was let out to bid. This could have resulted in very high cost to the owner in change orders, if this deficiency was not found until after the contractor was hired. Because the missing specification was found in time, the spec was changed and the requirements included in the contractor’s scope of work package.
Project Description: The new chemical engineering laboratory is the focal point for chemistry at the University. This LEED building houses the chemical engineering and chemistry research facilities, and includes high technology energy-conserving variable volume fume hoods. The building takes advantage of 90% exposure to natural light though a day-lighting control system. The systems are designed to reduce water consumption by 30% and energy use by 21%.
Project Size: 70,000 square feet
Project Cost: $70M
Date Completed: 2010
Scope of Work: TMCx worked as the consultant for Fundamental and Enhanced LEED commissioning, hired by the University to fulfill a requirement of testing to meet the owner’s functional requirements. TMCx provided technical expertise including: extensive design reviews from schematic through construction documents, a commissioning plan, written functional and pre-functional checklists and test procedures, observation of pre-functional testing, directing of the functional testing, owner training coordination, issue resolution, O&M review, site meetings, and warranty review.
Systems: The campus central plant provides the chilled water and the steam for heating hot water heat exchangers. The laboratories, classrooms, and offices are served by variable volume boxes. In areas with laboratories, the systems have variable fume hoods with Phoenix Controls supply and exhaust tracking systems. The day lighting controls system takes advantage of the natural sunlight exposure. The air handlers have heat/cooling recovery systems to reduce the energy consumed by the large volume of outside air required by the fume hoods.
Critical Part of Building: The VAV fume hood system is a critical part of the project because of the high volume of outside air (OSA) supplied into the building. The air handlers are all 100% OSA supply and 100% exhaust air. The high-tech Phoenix fume hood control system varies the air flow to match the demand depending on how many fume hoods are in use. A conventional constant volume fume hood system provides a constant amount of air to the hood no matter how many hoods are in use. This provides a significant energy savings potential.
Project Description: The Blair International Baccalaureate Middle School design was cited for its use of natural light in classrooms, its integration of outdoor and indoor teaching environments, energy conservation, and its deliberate focus on spaces designed to create better collaboration between instructors and students. The new facility includes a new classroom building with cutting-edge science labs, art work rooms, classrooms and kitchen/meeting facilities to support Blair’s student population. To date, the new complex has won the Leroy Greene Design & Planning Award from the California Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and the American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC).
Project Size: 30,000 square feet
Project Cost: $12 M
Scope of Work: LEED Enhanced Commissionning , 32 Packaged Rooftop Air Handlers, 2 split system AC units for computer rooms, Lighting and Lighting control.
Project Description: Built in 1985, the two Towers have a parking garage below ground. Used as prime office space. Systems include centrifugal chillers-4 each, dual duct VAV system with 2 air handlers, heat pumps on first floor. The towers are 8 stories plus mechanical penthouse.
Project Size: 354,000 square feet
Date Completed: 2009
Scope of Work: Changed sequence of controls, re-set controls, insulated air handling unit, modified lighting, modified and re-set morning warm-up.
Results: RCx Project Energy Saving Calc: $36,400 per year, 4% of energy
RCx payback: 2.7 yrs
Project Description: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a 1.6 million-square-foot, 1120-bed hospital facility on a 40-acre campus. TMCx has been the commissioning consultant to the hospital since 2006. TMCx commissioned several phases of additions to the existing Central Plant, a 20,000-square-foot project, with an estimated cost of $5 million; this included 3 centrifugal chillers, variable primary pumping, water treatment, and medical gas. TMCx is also commissioning a 20,000-square-foot research laboratory in the Spielberg Building. TMCx is commissioning the construction of a new 750,000-square-foot Health Science Pavilion and research laboratory. The Health Science Pavilion will expand Cedars-Sinai’s tertiary and quaternary service lines, and will strengthen its biomedical research and educational activities.
Project Size: 750,000 square feet
Project Cost: $600M
Date Completed: In progress since 2009, projected completion in 2012
Scope of Work: Building commissioning services included LEED Fundamental and Enhanced commissioning. TMCx’s scope of work included design and submittal reviews, Cx Plan, written test procedures, installation and system performance verification, the Final Report, training verification, warranty review, and systems manual. TMCx provided consulting services to develop a standard specification for the campus-wide direct digital controls system upgrade. TMCx commissioned a new DDC system installation.
Systems: The new plant included 3 centrifugal chillers, variable primary pumping, water treatment, and medical gas.
Project Description: The Huang Center provides cutting-edge facilities to encourage students to learn in an environment of multidisciplinary collaboration, inspiration, socialization, and creative applications of knowledge. Included in the center offerings are a digital “bookless” library giving on-demand access to knowledge with expert staff offering research guidance; a computing and visualization center with videoconferencing; machine shops for rapid prototyping; new facilities for online distance education; and iCME, a program that advances the state of the art in numerical simulation.
Project Size: 130,000 square feet, 4 stories
Project Cost: $140M
Date Completed: 2010
Scope of Work: LEED Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning
Systems: Under-floor air distribution, chilled beam cooling, radiant under-floor heating, VAV in offices, natural ventilation through operable windows, central atrium for natural ventilation.
Sustainability: The center will strive to meet all of the ambitious but attainable goals set out for its neighbor, the award-winning environment and energy building, Y2E2. This means using 50 percent less energy and 90 percent less potable water than a standard building of its size. These goals will be met with several innovative features including:
- Three atria that infuse the building with natural ventilation and light
- Smart control of lighting systems (daytime dimming, occupancy sensors)
- Efficient systems for heating and cooling
- Reuse of non-potable water for irrigation, toilets
- Sustainable materials and construction practices
Project Description: This central facility for the City of Los Angeles Police Department is a medium-security prison composed of a four-story building above grade with a basement and parking garage. The 512-bed jail was designed as a short-term holding center for inmates. It includes police operations, booking, food services, investigations, firing range, and other ancillary services.
Project Size: 160,000 square feet
Project Cost: $45M
Date Completed: 2008
Systems: Air handling systems are variable volume with reheat for most office areas. Constant-volume fan coils serve the interior inmate areas. Chilled water is provided by two air-cooled chillers. Heating hot water is provided by a steam heat exchanger. The facility has back-up power systems and uninterruptible power supply (UPS); emergency generators and transfer switching; and high-security alarm, paging, and communications systems.
Benefit TMCx brought to the table: TMCx found that the air handlers did not meet requirements and were found to be deficient in balancing of both chilled water supply and air distribution. One chiller did not perform and was found to be leaking oil. Once identified, these issues were corrected.
Project Description: Vandenberg AFB is located on the Pacific Coast in a remote area about a three-hour drive north of Santa Barbara near Highway 101. Building 836 is utilized as the center for Launch Control Monitoring at Vandenberg, to monitor spacecraft launched from the base.
Project Size: 60,000 square feet
Scope of Work: TMCx commissioned the HVAC systems including air handlers, terminal units, HW boilers, and chillers.
Systems: Building systems included VAV systems for both offices and Laboratory Launch Monitor rooms. Monitor rooms had under-floor air distribution systems. HVAC systems were redundant for reliability in the critical building.
Project Description: The UCLA Life Sciences Building is a 5-story building on campus, with 15% research laboratories and the rest office space for the existing Life Sciences program. Faculty and students in Life Sciences play an essential role in clarifying the mechanisms of life at the most fundamental level.
Project Size: 185,000 square feet
Project Cost: $35M
Date Completed: 2010
Scope of Work: TMCx provided LEED Fundamental and Enhanced commissioning. Building was a BIM System project. Commissioned systems included VAV air handlers serving offices, VAV fume hoods with associated tracking system serving the laboratories, chilled/heating water from central plant through heat exchangers, UPS systems and emergency generators. Major issues included fume hood controls and interface with campus BMS and ASHRAE 110 Credit for LEED. Fire life safety system includes vapor lock system and interface with fume hoods to protect occupants against toxic spills in case of a fire.
Project Description: The United Auburn Indian Community owns the massive site which includes a 275,000 square foot casino, a recently expanded 300 room luxury hotel, a 1.4 million square foot parking garage and a central plant to service the site while the casino remained fully operational. To power the casino, a first central plant fed 21,000 volts to the facility. A second central plant was built in 2010 and was tied to the first plant in parallel.
Project Size: 275,000 square feet
Project Cost: N/A
Owner: The United Auburn Indian Community
Scope of Work: TMCx retro-commissioned the original central plant and the Rooftop Air Conditioning units. Our services included a Commissioning Plan and written test procedures for pre-functional testing and startup, as well as functional testing and training coordination.