Building Tune-Up - Pilot Study

Juvenile Justice Center | City of Philadelphia

Pennsylvania

Building Characteristics

• 160,000 SF

• West Philadelphia, PA

• Mixed Use – Penitentiary/Office Space

• Building Construction Date – 2013

Members of our Energy and Sustainability Services department performed a ‘building tune-up’ at the Juvenile Justice Center to identify opportunities for conserving energy and water usage. This evaluation was conducted as a pilot for the City of Philadelphia, for the development of Building Energy Performance Policy Ordinance and program guidelines. (BEPP)

The scope of the evaluation included meeting with the facility maintenance team and the mechanical contractor, collecting performance data in the building automation system, and conducting independent data logging to analyze building operations over an extended period.

Through this data collection, the team identified opportunities for adjustments within the existing control system to generate energy and water savings within the mechanical system, lighting, and domestic hot water.

The team worked with the mechanical contractor to implement these opportunities within the building automation system and conducted a verification analysis to measure the impact of these improvements. 

The team identified improvements to reduce unnecessary equipment operation that lower the operating time for major equipment and  extend the replacement time, ensure occupant comfort was maintained, and generate cost savings through less energy and water usage.

The final recommendations are projected to generate savings of $0.15/SF or up to $24,000 annually, making the payback for the evaluation less than one year.

The deliverables of the evaluation included a final report and building evaluation worksheet, similar to the documents required as part of the Building Energy Performance Policy.

PES provided guidance to the City of Philadelphia for the BEPP to ensure the Tune-Ups provide value to building owners through improved building operations and cost savings.

Structural Evaluation of Roof Structure

Splitting Edge Axe Throwing

SSM was involved in a renovation project to structurally evaluate the existing roof structure for support of new units for heating and cooling the axe-throwing space. The roof structure is composed of wood framing supported on riveted steel trusses. The roof is original to the building and dates to the late 1800s, when steel was just becoming a common material for roof construction. When the building owner opted to support the units along the centerline of the building, SSM developed the structural design drawings for a new steel frame to be supported on the existing steel trusses. SSM then verified that the existing trusses were capable of supporting the added weight.

The roof is original to the building and dates to the late 1800s, when steel was just becoming a common material for roof construction.

Chiller Plant Study and Design

Confidential Client - Corporate Offices and Data Center

New York

SSM developed a plan to convert a chilled water plant consisting of two independent chilled water systems comprised of 2 – 600 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps and 2 – 250 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps to a single system consisting of 3 – 400 ton chillers and associated pumps. The project goal was to create a single central chilled water plant providing N+1 redundancy and development of a new sequence of operation allowing for automatic operation of the plant including automatic energizing of redundant equipment in the event of failure and rotation of equipment to equalize runtime. The project also included reconfiguration of power supplies to the equipment to reduce single points of failure.

The construction documents included instructions for phasing of construction to maintain operation of the existing plant while modifications and interconnection of the various subsystems was accomplished. The reconfiguration maximized the reuse of the existing piping network and power distribution.

Boiler Replacement Design

Confidential Client - Data Center

New York

SSM prepared construction documents for the installation of a dual fuel 1,200 HP boiler to replace a 67 year old water tube boiler. The new boiler will provide a better energy efficiency and turndown ratio for off-peak conditions. The project included replacement of two 75,000 lb/hr deaerators with custom deaerators that could be modified to fit the available space.

SSM utilized high definition laser scanning to document existing conditions in the 3 level boiler building. SSM mechanical engineers prepared a detailed flow diagram of existing piping and instrumentation.

The structural scope included design of a boiler access platform, roof modifications for the new stack, and structural support of the economizer located on the third floor. The existing steel was detailed using 3D laser scanning and field measurements to identify scope of removal and replacement of deaerators located on the third floor.

The electrical design included power, instrumentation, and controls. SSM electrical engineers provided a short circuit analysis and breaker coordination study for replacement power systems. The instrumentation and controls was designed to integrate with owners legacy building management system while maintaining owners preferred boiler combustion controls, boiler water level controller, valves, and sensors.

Building Conversion | Mansfield University

Foor and Associates Architects

Mansfield, PA

Mansfield University

Study and preliminary design for the conversion of a 2,400 square foot lecture hall into three separate functional spaces by the installation of moveable partitions. HVAC and electrical systems needed to be reconfigured to function as three individual zones. SSM performed a survey of existing HVAC and electrical systems, determined how to modify these system to support the new architectural layout for the space, and estimated the cost of construction for the renovations. SSM also evaluated the existing structure to determine if it could support the proposed moveable partitions.

Structural Assessment for Coal Breaker Reconstruction/Stabilization

ECKLEY MINER'S VILLAGE

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Eckley Miner’s Village, Weatherly, PA

SSM's structural engineers assessed the existing condition of the timber-framed structure and provided engineering analysis and design to replace or reconstruct a portion of the coal breaker, called the tipple. (A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product (e.g., coal, ores) for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars). SSM provided detailed structural designs, technical specifications, STAAD models for the tipple frame for the breaker and for the pole structure. In addition we provided construction services.

Founded in 1854, Eckley is an example of a planned nineteenth century coal mining town. It is a community, or coal “patch town,” which provided mining families with the basic necessities such as housing and medical care, as well as basic amenities like a store, a school and churches. Companies often designed and constructed industrial communities to house their employees in close proximity to the collieries, or mining operations, for which they worked. Such mining towns were built to attract other mining families to live and work among the coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania. While the company greatly influenced the lives of its village residents, and each family member faced challenges and difficulties every day. The way in which they faced these challenges is the history of the region that is studied, preserved and interpreted.

Since 1970, Eckley has been owned and operated as a museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The Molly Maguires a 1970 film was filmed in Eckley in 1969. The wooden "coal breaker" featured heavily in the film. The filming of the movie resulted in the town's being saved from demolition, and it was afterward turned into a mining museum under the control of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Structural Assessment and Facade Inspection

Mission First Housing

 Mission First Housing

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Façade Inspection at 1324 Walnut Street |As required by ordinance in the City of Philadelphia, the façade of this building must be inspected every five years to identify hazards to pedestrians below.  SSM carried out this work by performing the inspection from an articulating lift and preparing the report of findings in accordance with City requirements.  Recommended repairs were made to the façade, which were then inspected by SSM to assure compliance with the recommendations.

Structural Assessment for Pier Certification

PIER #5

Rhoads Marine Industries

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pier #5 | As required by ordinance in the City of Philadelphia, waterfront structures are subject to triennial inspections to ensure there are no hazards to occupants of non-vacant piers.  SSM commenced this process using three-dimensional scanning of the surface of the pier to locate and identify the magnitude of surface irregularities in pier.  The framed construction of the pier requires inspection of the underside via boat at favorable tide and dive monitoring for the supporting piles.

Structural Assessment for Drydock Certification

DRYDOCK #2

Rhoads Marine Industries

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Approved by Congress in 1898 and completed in 1910, Drydock #2 at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center is now used for parts salvage from decommissioned naval vessels.  Regardless of the status of the ship, the U.S. Coast Guard requires biennial inspection and certification of all drydocking facilities housing Coast Guard vessels.  In fulfilling this responsibility, SSM will regularly inspect the condition of the structure as well as witness the cycling of the Drydock.

High Definition Scanning and AutoCAD Modeling

BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | EXTERIOR SCAN

CVM Engineers

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

SSM utilized high definition laser scanning equipment and software to quickly and accurately capture the existing facade conditions of the church’s 150-foot bell tower. These services were employed to enable the project team to understand the design the displacements of the masonry elements in a 3‑D environment to ascertain structural conditions. The AutoCad elevations and sections and accompanying point cloud allows the team and owner to design and then view the existing conditions and effects of any proposed repairs.

SSM delivered the following:

• Elevation of each side of the tower portion of the church delivered as a 2D Autocad drawing. The portion of the tower, from the parapet base to the top of highest point was highly detailed to show cast stone ornamentation and the location of each of the stones in the aforementioned portion and include general geometry for the balance of the tower (to ground level). SSM documented planar distortion to indicate how far the top portion of the tower as well as the parapet walls may be leaning.

• Leica Tru-View of each scanner position. Leica Tru-View is a free web-based tool allowing the user to view the point cloud and field photography together, to easily and quickly “re-visit” the scanned areas of the building. Tasks such as panning, zooming, acquiring measurements and mark-up tools are all functions of the Leica Tru-View Software.

HIGHLIGHT: The 11 scans were performed in 1 day.  

Structural Engineering for Higher Education Facility Addition

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY | STUDENT UNION

Student Union and Services Building

Lincoln University

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

Provided structural engineering for an approximately 15,000 square foot addition to the Student Union and Services Building at Lincoln University. The project included significant upgrades to the existing building area. 

The existing two-story concrete framed building was expanded on three sides by the addition of a two-story steel framed structure. The upgrades included the addition or modification of a mailroom, bookstore, cinema viewing area, offices, game room, two story atrium, storage and maintenance areas, and a multi-purpose area.

The existing structure was analyzed and reinforced as required for new loads, including new rooftop mechanical equipment. The structural design included design of foundations, ground floor slab, retaining walls, elevated floor slabs, steel framing, and roof deck.

Performed construction phase services including structural shop drawing reviews, responding to contractor's “Request for Information (RFI), and occasional site visits to review construction.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY | STUDENT UNION INTERIOR

New Office Building Construction

Cathers and Associates, Inc.

IKEA

Norristown, Pennsylvania

Facility engineers provided complete facility services including structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design for the three-story, 75,000 square foot corporate headquarters. The building reflects IKEA brand - functional, attractive, and simple design. The architecture is primarily open office concept with a central core utility system. SSM's LEED-Certified engineers incorporated sustainable concepts and IKEA is presently seeking LEED Silver Certification for the building.

Structural Engineering for Adaptive Residential Reuse of Former School

AFTER: DUFFY SCHOOL APARTMENTS ADDITION

Kramer Marks Architects | Duffy School Apartments

Florence, New Jersey

When the Marcella L. Duffy School was established as Florence School No. 1 in the 1870s, the four-classroom building was the first public school in the community.  Located in Florence, New Jersey, this project involved the development of 53 units of affordable, senior housing.  The original 1870s school building required substantial on-site inspection during construction.  A three-story wood framed addition extended the building.

The project emphasized the adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the Duffy School into an apartment building featuring historic renovation / revitalization of the former school, completed in 1924, plus new amenities for today's lifestyle.  The sustainable design features of this project satisfy the standards of New Jersey’s ENERGY Efficient Homes and USGBC LEED© for Homes programs.

BEFORE: DUFFY SCHOOL APARTMENTS

AFTER: DUFFY SCHOOL APARTMENTS

Structural Engineering for Adaptive Residential Reuse of Factory

BEFORE | Union Pants Mfg. Co.

Kramer Marks Architects | Mission First Housing

Bordentown, New Jersey

This project involved the development of 48 units of affordable, senior housing. The project features the adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the former Eagle Shirt Company factory (aka Union Pants Mfg. Co.) into 21 one-bedroom apartments, and the new construction of an addition for 27 one-bedroom aparments. The building required substantial repairs due to fire damage and foundation subsidence. The three-story wood framed addition nearly doubled the footprint of the original building.Five of the 48 units will provide supportive housing or veterans. The sustainable design features of this project satisfy the standards of New Jersey's ENERGY Efficient homes and USGBC LEED for Homes programs.

BEFORE | Union Pants Mfg. Co.

Structural Engineering for Adaptive Residential Reuse of Social Center

AFTER: ALICIAN SENIOR APARTMENTS

Alician Senior Apartments

Kramer Marks Architects

Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Assessment of a 1950s Social Center for re-use as apartments. Extensive documentation and evaluation of the existing clear-span steel and concrete structure required for addition of new level.  New construction included the added wood-framed floor and roof, infill of the original mezzanine level and full height elevator core.  In addition to structural engineering, the project included preparation of drawings, specifications, submittal reviews and construction oversight.

Originally utilized by the adjacent school as a gymnasium and hall, St. Alice’s was a popular gathering place for teens and young adults for dancing, roller skating, bingo and big band nights.  Located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, this project involved the development of 53 units of affordable, senior housing.  The project features the adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the original ground floor and original second floor. The original first floor mezzanine overlooking the gymnasium was filled in to complete the level.  The original roof structure was reinforced and repurposed to become the new fifth floor, while adding a new roof structure.

BEFORE: St. Alice's

Multi-Discipline Engineering for New Fitness Center

GATEWAY MOTION AND FITNESS

Gateway Motion and Fitness

Lewes, Delaware

Spotts, Stevens and McCoy has been engaged with the Owners of Midway Fitness since 2012, performing a building energy audit, expansion feasibility projects for their existing facility located in Rehoboth DE. After their decision to relocate, SSM was engaged to provide due diligence and concept planning for alternate sites with existing structures and ultimately, the greenfield site selected for development of a new facility, Gateway Motion and Fitness. Due diligence and concept planning included site and civil engineering, and multi-disciplinary building systems.

SSM is partnered with Ambit Architecture to provide professional services to develop new building design from Programming through Construction Documentation and has been further engaged as the Owner’s representative and Project Manager. The project is currently in Design Development Phase. Basis of Design calls for a 48,000 square foot multi-level facility with diverse programmatic needs for fitness, aquatics, physical therapy and administration.

SSM technical services include: structural design, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection and electrical design and Project Management services to coordinate the efforts of the architectural design work of Ambit Architecture, the engineering design teams and the pre-construction services of Wohlsen Construction.

Structural Engineering for a new Office Building

300 GRANITE RUN DRIVE

Horst Real Estate Office Building

D2CA Architects (Cathers and Associates)

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

300 Granite Run Drive | Designed steel framing and foundation walls for the three-story, 36,000 square foot office building. The framing consisted of rigid steel framing with composite design of upper floors, with metal deck roof on steel joists.

Structural and Building for New Manufacturing and Warehouse Building

First Quality Non Wovens, Inc.

Quandel Construction

Hazleton, Pennsylvania

SSM provided structural engineering and building engineering for four major buildings for First Quality Nonwovens, Inc. as the structural engineering member of the Design Build team for Quandel Construction services. These projects included a Major warehouse addition in McEhlattan, Pennsylvania, two manufacturing plants in Hazelton, Pennsylvania and a paper Mill in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The buildings included a 70,000 square foot manufacturing plant and a 200,000 square foot warehouse and a 70,000 square foot manufacturing and warehouse building.

Structural Engineering for Manufacturing Expansion

Yuasa Battery Inc.

Laureldale, Pennsylvania

SSM structural engineers prepared the site engineering and structural design for a 74,000 square foot battery warehouse and office building for one of the nation's largest recreational engine battery manufacturers.

The project included high bay storage racks, shipping departments, locker and break room facilities and some office areas. 

Structural Engineering for Distribution/Warehouse Facility Expansion

Sid Tool Company | MSC Direct

Jonestown, Pennsylvania

SSM provided structural and architectural design and consulting services for the 105,000 square foot expansion of this distribution facility.

In addition to the distribution/warehouse facility, the design provided for new offices, employee lunchroom facilities, restrooms and sheltered loading dock buildings.

SSM completed the design for the steel and tilt-up concrete structure within a limited time frame to meet an ambitious 6 month construction completion schedule.