Best Commercial Architecture Firm or Design Company

Best Commercial Architecture Firm or Design Company

Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C. (FSB) has prospered and grown under three generations of leadership since opening in 1945. Because of its reputation for great service and quality and award-winning design, FSB competes and wins national projects against companies 100 times its size. It does this by specializing in providing high-quality architectural-engineering services that exceed ordinary expectations across many sectors, including aviation, corporate, civic, cultural, education, federal, native american and infrastructure.

A trusted name with a rich history in Oklahoma City, FSB is best known for designs that withstand the test of time, as well as its legacy of the highest caliber industry leadership throughout its 69 years in business. Basing operations in Central Oklahoma provides FSB with unique opportunities as both a business and a community member. With ongoing projects across the country and in Oklahoma, FSB’s centralized location allows the firm to provide high-quality service for clients and a high quality of life for its team.

Remaining Top 5
D5 Architecture
Fitzsimmons Architects
HSEarchitects
TAP Architecture

Renovating Mechanical Systems: Creative engineering solutions save equipment & money

Sometimes transitions have to happen quickly. Continental Resources purchased Devon Energy’s old 19-story building in downtown Oklahoma City in 2011. As Devon employees were moving out, Continental employees were already moving in to get to work in their new space.

By the time FSB was contacted to evaluate and renovate the building’s engineering systems, it was already operating as the oil and natural gas company’s headquarters.

“The systems were very outdated—nothing had been changed since 1981, when the building was finished,” Principal Brian Sauer said. “In a perfect world, we would have a year with the building unoccupied so we could renovate the systems before it was occupied. In reality, for many companies that timeline doesn’t make financial sense. It’s our job to find creative solutions.”

FSB has a particular penchant for unique, technically challenging projects. The cross-discipline firm attracts designers and engineers who appreciate big-picture client objectives and enjoy combining their experience with colleagues with different backgrounds and expertise. In an engineering system renovation, the goal is simple: leave the client with plumbing, electrical or temperature components that can be functional, and replace those that are not. The solution is sometimes very complex, though.

“Our firm understands that there is no one solution for renovating a building’s engineering system,” Sauer said. “Every building is unique.”

71 degrees by 7 a.m.
At Continental, FSB began its evaluation of the building’s existing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as Continental employees settled into their offices. The team spent about a month poking their heads above ceiling tiles, shining flashlights behind walls and interviewing longtime members of the building maintenance team to develop an understanding of which components were worth salvaging and which ones were worn out or outdated. According to Sauer, in any renovation, evaluating is the first and most important step of a remodel.

“If an engineer doesn’t want to come to your building and inspect prior to renovating it, then you should probably think twice about your engineer,” Sauer said.

The FSB team learned the building’s controls for air and water temperature were very poor and not calibrated correctly. For Continental, replacing the HVAC system entirely was off the table because the building would need to remain occupied throughout the renovation. Instead, FSB found a creative solution to swap out the outdated control system first brought in with the components that would serve as the “brain”, then ran a “spine” of wires from the mechanical rooms on the top floor to the rest of the building. One floor at a time, the engineers transitioned the HVAC system over to the new control system. Because the HVAC needed to be off at times during the renovation, large portions of the floor-by-floor transition were completed at night or on the weekends.

“We had a rule — 71 degrees by 7 a.m.,” Sauer said. “One of our mechanical engineers stayed onsite full time for six months, and each morning before employees arrived to work, he would lead the renovation team in troubleshooting any spaces where the temperature wasn’t keeping up. Sometimes it was an airflow problem, sometimes faulty sensors or controls. By 7 a.m., we would make sure the temperature was comfortable so Continental employees could focus on their jobs.”

Floor by floor, the 19-story downtown office building’s engineering systems were upgraded from their worn-out, dated 1980s control system to one fit for a modern work environment. Not only did Continental save money by repairing rather than replacing the system, they saved time and allowed their company to continue operating uninterrupted.

Salvaging pieces of a system is never the easy route for an engineering team to take — it’s much faster and simpler from a design perspective to remove everything and replace it. In many cases, such as with the Continental renovation, the owner stands to save a great deal if engineers take the time to complete a conditions assessment ahead of the renovation.

Bringing modern systems to a historic renovation
Another project that benefitted from a thorough initial assessment was the Oklahoma State Capitol building. The century-old building’s systems had been modified, many did not work and no good records existed of its air handling, plumbing or electric.

“There are about 600 different pieces of mechanical equipment in the Capitol that we catalogued,” Principal and Director of Mechanical Engineering Aaron Campbell said. “We had a team of about 20 people visiting regularly for 3 months, and we went room by room inspecting equipment and determining its age and condition. Then, we would make a recommendation about whether it needed to be replaced or reused.”

The assessment efforts resulted in 8,000 pages of documentation. Every engineer and architect on the cross discipline team used iPads to record their findings into one database, so measurements and information were easily transferred into the firm’s Revit modeling software. This enabled the team to create an intelligent building model of the Capitol’s existing systems, and simplified the design process for engineers and architects.

“By putting in the effort on the front end to evaluate and catalog the condition of equipment, we estimate that we’re going to be able to save about $5 million in mechanical components,” Campbell said. “The engineering effort that we put in allowed us to keep building occupied.”

FSB’s capabilities to integrate engineering and architecture, combined with its large staff’s capacity to carry out detailed assessments prior to completing a design means the firm is perfectly equipped to take on the hard, out-of-the-ordinary renovations.

“The more challenging and technical the project is, the better the fit is for FSB,” Sauer said.

To learn more about how FSB can help with the engineering design on your next project, contact Aaron Campbell at infratech@fsb-ae.com or 405.840.2931.

Delivering the Goods – building delivery systems

designmatters_012813_render1There are a number of systems within the building that are designed to deliver something unique and specific to that system. We have discussed some of these already, but there are several more that we will see being installed at the project in the weeks to come. Some of these unique delivery systems include:

Grey Water System; this system collects waste water, cleans it up to a non-potable level and then delivers that grey water for the purpose of flushing toilets and urinals. Its purpose is  also to reduce water consumption which meets one of our LEED (sustainable) requirements. The beginnings of this system (the portion that collects waster water) have been installed underground.

Storm Water Collection System; this system collects rain water from the building roofs and site and delivers it at a controlled rate of release into the City storm water system so as not to overburden the City’s system with an increased rate of runoff. We have seen these pipes stored at the site waiting for the time of their installation.

designmatters_012813_waterharvestingconcept

Waste Water System; collects waste water from plumbing fixtures and delivers the effluent to the City sanitary sewer system. The beginnings of this system have been installed underground.
Power Distribution System; this system brings power into the building, cleans it up, converts it to various usable voltages and phases and then delivers it to equipment, motors, lights and outlets.

designmatters_012813_powerdistribdiagram

 

Here are some other delivery systems. Complete the descriptions, decide what is unique about the system and how each delivers it’s goods; answers in upcoming posts:

  • Domestic Hot Water System
  • Lighting System
  • Domestic Cold Water System
  • Communication Data System
  • Domestic Cold Water System
  • People/Materials Delivery System
  • Day Lighting System
  • Way Finding System
  • Construction Documents
  • Refrigerant System
  • Air Delivery System

While reviewing recent construction photos, I saw a material that is a part of a system that I had not seen before. I was familiar with the delivery system, but not what it is made of. Here are the photos I was looking at. The material is orange in color. Do you know what the material is and what delivery system it is part of?

designmatters_orange-delivery-system

Creating tailored corporate workspaces aligned with the latest interior design trends

“We shape our buildings, and afterwards, our buildings shape us.” — Winston Churchill

This quote may be equally applicable to the interior design of buildings as it is the exterior, according to FSB Senior Design Project Manager John Osborne. In the past decade, business owners have witnessed work environments change significantly to become central to employee contentment and productivity.

“Most of corporate America spends their workdays indoors. From an interior designer’s perspective, this creates tremendous opportunity to meaningfully impact people’s lives.”

Interior environments impact our state of mind, level of performance and even our health. Now more than ever, the office environment is a major factor influencing employee recruitment and retention.

Autonomy and flexibility are in
In an effort to recruit and engage employees, business owners are placing new emphasis on autonomy and flexibility. Recent office interior design trends reflect this philosophy.

Mobile working and desk sharing can help reduce required leasable areas and have become a great solution for accommodating remote team members for short periods of time. Corporate clients are asking for renovations or new spaces that provide employees more options in response to the increasing value many workers place on work-life balance.

Many offices need teleconferencing capabilities and wireless connectivity. Nearly all need team spaces varying in size and formality. Open spaces and shared work environments create a synergistic, collaborative environment that enclosed offices simply don’t provide.

“A break room, conference room and private offices are not enough anymore,” Osborne said. “Modern offices need to cater to varying work styles and multiple generations.”

FSB office interior

As a result of differing traditions and expectations, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z employees each tend to prioritize workplace needs differently. Interior spaces must not only be flexible enough to accommodate generational preferences and varying work styles, but also to enable change within the organization including new technology, a rapidly growing staff or churn.

Other more qualitative trends center around light and color. More offices are prioritizing natural light, which has been connected with better sleep cycles and less absenteeism. Some are paying more consideration to color, which can affect mood and productivity. For example, green can be calming and reduce eye strain, helpful for people who work long hours.

“Our first priority is to create functional spaces that support and enhance productivity, workflow and user experiences, and clients also depend on us to keep up-to-date on corporate interior design trends,” Osborne said. “We can help clients invest budgets wisely and come out of their renovations or new builds with interior work environments that will support and appeal to employees now and for many years to come.”

Cross-discipline team delivers more cohesive interiorsFSB office interior
FSB typically begins every design project by developing an understanding of project goals, budget constraints and functional criteria to be incorporated into a design solution. Participating in charrettes or programming workshops is one efficient technique for accomplishing this understanding. These workshops are usually multiple-day sessions wherein FSB’s designers interface with client stakeholders to identify project design goals and requirements. This helps each team member on a project to develop an understanding of the design direction, priorities and values, and contribute throughout the process.

Because FSB is a full-service, multi-discipline architecture and engineering firm, the company’s approach is holistic—early collaboration between engineers, architects and designers allows for a cohesive design solution. Interior designers work alongside architectural designers and engineers throughout the project from pre-design through completion.

Tribe embraces open, collaborative workspace
It took this brand of true cross-discipline coordination to deliver a cohesive headquarters building to the Choctaw Nation. FSB’s project team needed to create a space that celebrated the tribe’s heritage and respect for nature throughout the campus, including interiors. The interior designers on the larger project team had also planned a modern, flexible work environment for staff catering to diverse generations and workstyles. Lastly, the design would need to be durable, low maintenance and sustainable, a priority motivated by the tribe’s environmental and financial stewardship goals.

Choctaw Headquarters main lobby in Durant, OK“We always try to offer multiple options,” Osborne said. “It’s important to, above all, respect clients’ values and priorities, but this can often be achieved in a variety of ways. The merits of each option are discussed and evaluated against their respective costs to help our clients come to the best decision.”

The Choctaws had the opportunity to review color boards, material samples and 3D renderings in order to better envision the final product. They also accompanied the design team to several office furniture manufacturers’ headquarters to learn more about trends as well as to see first-hand the available options. The resulting interior was an extension of the exterior architectural design concept—a modern expression of the tribe’s long-held values and beliefs, incorporating the trend for flexible, open workspaces.

Dated office building converted to prime real estate
“Class A” office space, defined in real estate as space with modern finishes, onsite restaurants or cafes, fitness centers and covered parking, is in high demand. Caliber Development, a real estate investment company, understood this demand and enlisted FSB to renovate their recently purchased office building in Oklahoma City.

“The goal was to take a Class B or C, outdated 1976 office building at 60 percent occupancy and convert it to a successful, aesthetically pleasing space full of satisfied tenants,” Osborne said. “The 10-story atrium was a grand space flooded with natural light. So, it had a lot of potential. Still, before the renovation it felt a little cold, almost institutional, because of the finishes. The challenge was to find the balance between respecting the bones of the architecture while modernizing the space and creating an environment that would meet the market demand for more functional amenities and comforts at the office.”

To bring more warmth to the space, the team created contrast with black granite flooring and a warm wood panel system. Stone was incorporated into the atrium area to bring more warmth and texture and carried through into the newly created café for a richer, more welcoming aesthetic.

Osborne said once the renovation was complete, the building quickly reached 100 percent occupancy, and just four years later, Caliber sold the building for a significant profit, demonstrating the impact interior design can have on a client’s profitability and occupancy. The renovated office building now houses IBC Bank’s Oklahoma headquarters.

“The final result was a very successful project,” Caliber Companies President Matt Austin said. “Without hesitation, I would recommend FSB to anyone looking for a full-service architectural design and engineering firm for their office design needs.”

Interested in learning more about interior design trends and how FSB can help you on your next project, contact Laure Majors at busdev@fsb-ae.com or (405) 840-2931.

Jason Holuby Selected for Leadership OKC

Jason Holuby, a senior associate and project manager for Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates (FSB), was recently selected for the 2013-2014 class of the Leadership OKC Signature Program.

jason-holuby

The Signature Program, now in its 31st year, is a 10-month series of classes that work to broaden established leaders’ knowledge of Oklahoma City’s civic community. Class members complete the program as a group, becoming resources for each other as they learn about community issues. Members are selected to represent a broad range of occupations and backgrounds.

“Jason demonstrates outstanding skill and leadership, whether in his personal or professional life,” said Fred Schmidt, principal of FSB. “Regardless of whether he is instructing his team on the latest developments of a project or volunteering within the community, Jason always puts his heart into what he’s doing and is a fantastic representative for FSB.”

Holuby graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oklahoma. He leads project teams in the design and development of large-scale commercial, institutional and government projects. Holuby is also a LEED Accredited Professional, a certification of knowledge in how to design buildings to reduce their environmental impact.

jason-leadership-class

In 2012, Holuby was recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as one of the top 40 Under 40 professionals in the state. In 2005, he was a member of the grand prize winning team in the Oklahoma City Bus Stop Competition. Holuby serves as Director for the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter, board member and treasurer for the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture and volunteers for numerous other community service organizations.

 

Oklahoma’s Capitol Finally Topped Out

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A 155 ft high dome provides a finishing touch to the Oklahoma Capitol – 85 years after the building was opened.

The Oklahoma Capitol in Oklahoma City was completed in 1917 without the traditional dome that symbolizes a seat of government. Its dome will be finished this year. The project was completed by Capitol Dome Builders, a design-build venture of Manhattan Construction, Tulsa, and architect/engineer Frankfurt Short Bruza (FSB) of Oklahoma City. FSB did the architectural design and engineering for the $21 million project. Due to funding problems, a raised dome was not originally constructed. An 80-ft.-diameter circular roof opening at the center of the building was instead covered with a flat “saucer dome.” Portions of the original dome, including its stained-glass skylight, plaster crown and cut limestone, have been saved as historic artifacts.

Nevertheless, the original construction allocated $15,000 to construct columns capable of supporting a future raised dome. The designers’ aim was to be sympathetic to the historic nature of the Capitol and true to the intent of the original design proposed for dome, interpreted in today’s materials, according to Fred Schmidt, FSB’s director of architecture. The new feature consists of an outer dome constructed of precast concrete and cast stone, and an inner coffered dome. The top of the inner dome has a 20-ft.-diameter oculus. Above the oculus is a backlighted stained-glass representation of the state seal. A free-standing, 270-ft.-high tower crane was used to construct the dome.

Re-creating old features
Since the artisans who built the building have passed on, contemporary techniques were used to replicate the appearance of the original work. For example, factory-produced glass-reinforced gypsum panels were used to create egg-and-dart design features of the inner portions of the dome. Preliminary work included a feasibility study to determine if the Capitol could support the steel-framed dome’s weight of 5 million pounds. Sample borings were taken from footings, columns and ring beams to make sure that concrete had adequate strength.

Evaluation of the building’s expected seismic performance took into account not only the existing structure, but also the new loads that would be imposed by the dome. A 22-ft.-tall bronze statue of a Native American warrior was hoisted to the top of the 155-ft.-high dome in June in conjunction with the annual Red Earth Native American gathering.

bdc_okcapitol-topped_statecapitol_thumbnail
A free-standing 270 ft high tower crane was used to construct the dome.

The massive statue was sculpted by artist and state Sen. Enoch Kelly Haney. The Capitol was designed by architect Layton, Wemyss and Smith, Oklahoma City. Stewart Construction Co. began work on the building, which was constructed for $1.5 million, in 1914. It was built on a “pay-as-you-go” basis and cost less than 17 cents per sq. ft. A grassroots effort to complete the dome was begun in 1988. Largely through an effort spearheaded by Gov. Frank Keating, 75% of construction costs for the dome project was raised through private donations. A popular misconception is that Oklahoma’s had been the only state capitol not topped by a dome. Actually, more than 10 state capitols are currently without a dome, but Oklahoma’s had been the only one originally designed with a dome that didn’t have one. The completed Capitol dome will be officially dedicated on Nov. 16, Oklahoma Statehood Day.

See associated file to download the completed article.

 

After the Blast, Oklahoma City Builds

Before the bombing, the city had enterprising plans to draw attention to its downtown. Now those plans matter more than ever.
by Mark Alden Branch

expert-interview-progressive-arch-magazine-mapsFor Oklahoma City’s boosters and business leaders, the April bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a grotesque parody of their wildest dreams.  For years, residents of this 106 year-old city had struggled to develop an image for their low profile community. Then, just when an ambitious downtown improvement program was about to get under way, the world’s attention was seized by the grisly devastation of the Federal Building.

Nonetheless, the series of projects initially aimed at drawing attention and tourists to downtown Oklahoma City is going forward, and has gained new importance in a metropolis trying to move past its recent tragedy.

Oklahoma City’s plan, known as MAPS (for Metropolitan Area Projects), will use the proceeds of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase to build $285-million worth of public facilities, mostly downtown.

Where previous urban renewal plans in this city of just under $1 million have collapsed under their own weight, this one will succeed, civic leaders say, because the money to implement is assured.

The bombing and its widespread damage to buildings on the north side of downtown will have little effect on the plan, which is concerned mainly with downtown’s south edge.  However, city officials are considering new planning efforts for the area hardest hit by the explosion.  This summer, the National Endowment for the Arts is paying for a charrette that will bring in planners, architects, and artists to consider the future of the bombing site and the area immediately surrounding it.

expert-interview-progressive-arch-magazine-maps2The General Services Administration, which owned the Murrah Building, will have the final say over what is done on its site, but public sentiment runs strongly toward building a memorial there in lieu of a new building.  The GSA may decide not to rebuild at all, but instead relocate federal offices into existing downtown office buildings.

In Pei’s Empty Footsteps
The MAPS plan was conceived so as to avoid the fates of earlier forays in urban renewal, which nearly killed the downtown. The city implemented the demolition phase of a 1964 master plan by I.M. Pei, but didn’t follow through with much new construction; facilities such as a downtown mall were planned but never built.  The demolition left gaping holes in the central business district and, just east of downtown it wiped out an entire African-American neighborhood.

The city did manage to build a trio of new attractions on the downtown’s south edge: John Johansen’s celebrated Mummers Theater of 1970 (recently renovated and renamed the Stage Center), the Crystal Bridge botanical garden by Conklin Rossant (P/A, March 1989, p. 92), and the Myriad Convention Center.  But the disappearance of retailing, the development of an air-conditioned tunnel system, and the proliferation of vacant lots have conspired to turn a formerly diverse downtown into a dispiriting office zone. Foregoing the heroic task of comprehensively remaking the downtown, the current strategy concentrates on a series of individual projects it is hoped will spur spin-off investments around them.

“The projects are kind of like anchor stores in a mall,” says Jim Bruza of master plan architects Frankfurt Short Bruza.  “The areas between them will become good sites for private development.”

The largest chunk of new sales tax money will go for an $80-million sports arena intended to attract a National Hockey League franchise.  (The city’s Blazers have the best attendance record in the minor leagues.)  The minor-league baseball team, the 89ers, will get a new $23-million ballpark in the Bricktown warehouse district east of downtown.  The WPA-era Civic Center Music Hall will be renovated at a cost of $37-million, a new $15-million central librar y will be built, and the Myriad Convention Center will receive a $30-million renovation and addition by the local firm Glover Smith Bode with Thompson Ventulett Stainback & Associates of Atlanta.

A Canal to the Canadian River
An especially tough problem was how to lure conventioneers across the elevated railroad tracks that separate the convention area from Brictown, where brick warehouses have been transformed in recent years into an entertainment district.  The solution, inspired by San Antonio’s Riverwalk: create a below-grade canal.  The canal will originate in front of the convention center, pass through a portal under the tracks, and trace the route of a Bricktown street to the ballpark which is to be designed by ADG of Oklahoma City with David M. Schwartz / Architectural Ser vices of Fort Worth.  At the ballpark – which, attentive to the example of the Baltimores’ Camden Yards stadium, incorporates an existing warehouse into it’s design – the $15-million waterway will make a 90-degree turn and meander toward the Canadian River.

The canal, with walkways, trees, and outdoor cafes along its edges, will lie 14 feet below grade, presenting opportunities for converting Bricktown basements into an additional level of retail or entertainment space.  If the corridor develops as envisioned by Frankfurt Short Bruza, it will spawn a lively succession of activities alongside the canal and above it at the main level of the renovated warehouses.  Sheltered by the street walls of the warehouses, the canal could be an oasis in a downtown that is often hot, dry, and windy.  The canal will be convincing, however, only if its accompanying stairs, ramps, and terraces respect the dignity of the plain, muscular warehouses.

Planners harbor no illusions about the level of urbanity that Oklahoma City can achieve; the master plan document drily acknowledge that “a plan for a dense pedestrian city like Rome of Florence would be a mistake.”  Substantial retailing and housing are all but gone from downtown, and city officials don’t expect them to come back except in the form of specialty stores and residential loft conversions in Bricktown.

Like many Western cities, Oklahoma City came of age with the automobile.  Its 20th-Century patterns of development – which have resulted in a population density lower than that of any other U.S. city – make it unlikely that a traditional dense urban character can ever be created within its 604 square miles.  Instead, learning from theme parks, atmospheric ballparks, festival marketplaces, and other tourist lures, the new plan arranges attractions to create a pedestrian environment of a different kind – one based on special events rather than on daily routines.  Whatever Oklahoma City’s downtown may not be, it will be a destination – for conventioneers, for tourists, and, more than in recent years, for its own far-flung populace.

Design with a Purpose

Delivering a new helicopter maintenance hangar at Naval Air Station North Island overcame numerous design and schedule challenges in addition to the project being selected to test the Early Contractor Involvement acquisition strategy.

By Gene O. Brown, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, M.SAME, and Dusty Stoabs, P.E., CxA, CPMP, LEED AP BD+C, M.SAME

At Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., near the end of a long first day in a weeklong programming and design charrette, the design team prepared for its last appointment. The public works officer was to give his vision for the new, three squadron MH-60 Helicopter Maintenance Hangar. He spoke to the rich and storied heritage of the installation and its visual relationship with the City of San Diego.

With inward views from San Diego Bay, yacht clubs and San Diego International Airport, this new hangar had to be worthy of its location. It was to be a significant part of the base’s image and a source of Navy Pride. It had to be functional, efficient, and durable, achieve LEED Silver and be completed within budget. Moreover, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) had selected the hangar to test the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) delivery method. The challenges, some known that first day and others that emerged throughout the process, would prove to be significant.

Ultimately, however, teamwork and ingenuity delivered a successful outcome, achieving the project’s many goals, including elevated sustainability ratings introduced midway through—all despite operating in this “new normal” fiscal environment.

PROJECT UNDERWAY
NAVFAC began soliciting for an ECI contractor to come on board at the midpoint of the design phase and Architect and Engineer of Record Frankfurt-Short- Bruza (FSB) set to work incorporating the expressed needs of all stakeholders. The project, in addition to aesthetic challenges, met significant budget obstacles early on in design. The site was located on a thick layer of sand over another thick layer of bay deposits. It was determined to be liquefiable during a seismic event. The squadrons also needed previously unaccounted for space to properly function.

As the concept design moved into design development, these and other challenges were resolved through innovative team solutions. To mitigate the soil issues, engineers determined that stone columns offered both overall site improvement and higher facility performance, with a reduced cost over a traditional driven pile solution. They also utilized buckling restrained braces to reduce the effect of seismic events and temperature change on the structure. The net project savings more than paid for the upfront increased cost. Architects worked with engineers and installation maintenance personnel to design equip- ment platforms in the high bay space. This opened up the additional floor space each squadron needed. Outdoor spaces were created on both levels to provide open air seating areas and break spaces, again freeing up needed space in the facility.

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Flightline view of the new MH-60 Helicopter Maintenance Hangar at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The facility, completed on time in December 2013, was designed to be a significant part of the installation’s image and a source of Navy Pride.

DESIGN ELEMENTS
Considerable time was spent on facility aesthetics. Architects wanted to control the visual scale of this large facility, disguise its industrial nature and provide strong features. Most prominent are the naval aviation-themed entry elements that create both a material and spatial hierarchy, and clearly delineate the land-side points-of- entry. The massing of the facility on the land-side was broken up to create a softer rhythm across its 640-ft front face, creating space for more operable windows, daylight and outdoor areas.

The air-side of the facility presented a separate set of aesthetic challenges. Architects developed a curved roof profile to sculpt the high bay’s boxy volume and visually transition to the lower administration and shop space. A second curved feature added over each squadron’s hangar doors rolled back up over the roof to resemble stacked waves. These features contained a recessed backlit squadron insignia and served to break up the massive volume of the hangar bay. Translucent insulated panels in the vertical zone of the trusses make the roof appear thin, and at night, give the appearance it is hovering over the lower walls. During the day, the translucent panels permit significant diffuse daylight into the hangar bay and daylight sensors regulate light fixtures. Vertical lifting fabric doors were selected to eliminate the area required for door pockets, and columns between squadrons were minimized to create the effect of one continuous opening.

Through team collaboration, innovative solutions and identification of bid options, the project team delivered a design development submission that was tracking on budget and on time.

It was at this 60 percent design level when a newly adopted Navy policy increased the requirement from LEED Silver to Gold. Additionally, the project site was increased by approximately half and the construction budget was cut 2 percent. NAVFAC’s Design Manager also lost much of his supporting professional staff and the team learned the ECI contractor could not be added to the team until the pre-final design submission. In response, the entire design team reviewed cost estimates and created prioritized lists aimed at minimizing the impact of these new challenges. The User Group representative coordinated with his aviators and made timely decisions. Public Works took on the demolition of several existing buildings on the expanded site and the NAVFAC Design Manager covered the gap left by his loss in support staff while maintaining his role as the Navy’s design lead.

The change to LEED Gold required an additional 10 points. As LEED is very regimented in its precise execution, it is not perfectly suited to all projects. For example, enhanced commissioning by a third party and brownfield redevelopment were already part of the project, but they could not contribute points because they could not be executed in the manner required by the rating system. This necessitated that other potential credits be developed and prioritized based upon estimated cost.

At the pre-final design phase, the ECI contractor, Hensel Phelps, joined the team. They were already familiar with the base and their impact was immediate. Contractually speaking, this was no longer an ECI project. But the team embraced the collaborative spirit of ECI delivery and worked to blend the final design and early site package. And since all bid options were strongly desired by the project stakeholders, the ECI contractor was encouraged to come up with cost saving and quality improving proposals. To increase creativity, the contractor’s proposed recommendations were not required to comply with federal design standards. The notion being, if a proposal had merit, it would be considered.

SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION
Over a four-month period, the design team considered 58 separate value management proposals—from $900,000 credits to $300,000 additions. FSB performed technical reviews and made recommendations.

One particular point of interest was that even with the facility’s amplified aesthetic nature, it was predominately the expanded site that pushed budget limitations when compared by line item to the project’s DD Form 1391. Even so, a significant portion of the value management proposals focused on the aesthetics. These design elements were not the reason the budget was being pushed, they were just the most visible. Staying focused on the charge to be creative and reflect a sense of pride in naval traditions and naval aviation, the team delivered final contract documents with all bid options and stakeholder input incorporated, as well as the aesthetic elements intact, with only a 1 percent growth from the original construction estimate. The ECI-type collaboration effectively served to transfer design intent from FSB to the contractor and to clarify subcontractor questions as bids were finalized.

The results speak for themselves. Total change orders subsequent to the final contract documents were well below 3 percent, the majority of which were field requested design changes or unforeseen conditions. The facility was completed on time, in December 2013, and it will benefit mission accomplishment, improve readiness and enhance occupant performance for years to come.

 

 

A Tailored Approach to Energy Savings for College Campuses

As higher education budgets tighten and environmental consciousness grows, university administrators are turning to the mechanical engineers of FSB now more than ever in search of solutions for reducing energy usage and lowering monthly utility costs. The historic buildings and sprawling campuses that characterize many higher learning institutions require huge amounts of energy, but appropriately adjusting or upgrading heating, cooling and lighting systems can quickly lead to six-figure annual savings.

The key to maximizing savings, FSB Principal Brian Sauer said, is a highly individualized approach beginning with an interview with the client and a thorough building walk-through, followed by careful analysis to guide a decision-making process.

“Most people think they can simply apply something they read in a trade publication, and it’s not that simple because every building and campus is so unique,” Sauer said. “My goal is always to thoroughly evaluate each structure, understand its function and present models to the client before making any decisions. It is so important to evaluate where the most energy is being wasted and determine which adjustments offer the best return on investment.”

To predict potential energy savings, FSB’s team of mechanical engineers reviews utility bills, lighting and print-outs from chillers and pumps, which offer insight into the amount of energy each piece of equipment regularly uses. Based on their assessment, FSB can accurately model the buildings’ existing systems and predict how adjustments might affect energy usage.

For example, the firm was hired to replace the WWII-era boilers and 30-year old chillers in Oklahoma State University’s old central plant, which provides steam and chilled water for buildings throughout campus. FSB’s engineers began the project by creating a campus utilities master plan to understand how the buildings were performing and determine where on campus the plant should be located. They also factored in buildings slated for construction to predict heating and cooling needs as far as 20 years into the future.

“For Oklahoma State, adding on to the existing plant would not be as cost-effective as building a new plant because of the added energy efficiency a new plant could provide,” Sauer said. “It is so critical to have a campus evaluated by a professional engineer so money can be spent wisely. We can make sure the rate of return is there.”

Oklahoma State broke ground on its new plant in September 2015, and Oklahoma State Director of Energy Services James Rosner said when the project is complete and the plant is powered on the university will begin to save $350,000 annually in utility expenses alone, and about $120,000 in reduced annual maintenance expenses as the new equipment will require fewer repairs.

“The more efficient equipment, the refined procedures, and the technology that’s being put in — we’re going from WWII surplus equipment to cutting-edge technology,” Rosner said. “We’re being brought into the twenty-first century.”

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In addition to the initial efficiencies, Rosner said the central plant designed with the future in mind — to accommodate the campus’ anticipated growth. The building includes space where the university can add additional heating and cooling equipment without requiring a renovation.

Administrators at another Oklahoma university, Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, reached out to FSB in 2006 with a similar need — to keep buildings consistently cooler, conserve energy and reduce the campus’ monthly utility expenses. Oklahoma Christian didn’t have a central plant at the time.

After studying the school’s energy usage, FSB found that consolidating the campus’ heating and cooling equipment to one location would reduce the utility bills related to heating and cooling by about 40 percent, or about $500,000 per year.

“We knew Oklahoma Christian was planning to start construction on a large new dorm building and calculated that if we switched them over to a central plant, all the energy for this new dorm would essentially be free, because the amount that we were saving was more than that building would use,” Sauer said. “After we got the central plant installed and followed up with them, they said ‘That’s true. We use so much less energy than we did.’”

While renovating or reconfiguring heating and cooling systems is one strategy that, when appropriately applied, can bring major utilities and maintenance savings, this is one of many tools FSB’s mechanical engineers might recommend to a client. Others include ground source heat pumps, LED lighting, solar panels and automated controls. The team has worked to improve efficiency in buildings for many industries, as well as in many parts of the world. Sauer said each project begins with understanding factors like size of maintenance staff, age and composition of a building, and usage. For example, on a college campus a lab has very different needs than an administrative office. Even the geography and climate where the building is located is a factor.

“Solar panels make a ton of sense for some of our projects in California,” Sauer said. “They get plenty of sun, energy is more expensive, and you don’t have four-inch hail stones damaging panels every two or three years like we would in Oklahoma. Our engineers work all over the world, and every day we are exposed to different types of technology and utility rate structures.”

The art, Sauer said, lies in understanding the client’s unique needs and determining which technology is the best fit.

To learn more about cost savings and energy design for your next project, contact Laure Majors at busdev@fsb-ae.com or 405.840.2931.