Water Pollution Control Laboratory
MEP services to optimize replacement of critical infrastructure.
The Challenge
The City of Portland’s Water Pollution control lab is an icon within the city. When built in 1999, the building won several awards including Portland and Seattle AIA awards, a BPA Architecture and Energy Merit Award, and a ASLA Honor Award. However, the building was showing its age, and the cooling system had become unreliable. Requiring constant repair and the installation of temporary air conditioners to keep the labratory operational.
The project replaced the failing 25-year-old cooling system in this 24/7 critical laboratory building. The building had a decentralized cooling system, which increased both energy usage and maintenance costs. The project team replaced the system with a centralized chilled water plant utilizing a magnetic levitation chiller to reduce energy, noise, and life cycle costs. Phased construction and a temporary cooling system allowed the laboratory to operate throughout construction. In addition, two main air handling units were replaced, and the main laboratory air handler was refurbished with a new fan array for redundancy. Combined with new controls, commissioning, and a preventive maintenance plan, the facility reduced their energy usage by 40%. To help offset construction costs, a substantial energy incentive was provided by the Energy Trust of Oregon.
Key Take Aways
Emergency cooling system replacement project to maintain functionality of the 24/7/365 laboratory.
Reduced energy usage of the cooling system from 1.1 KW/Ton to 0.4 KW/Ton a 63% reduction.
Developed contractor solicitation documents.
Obtained a $250k ETO incentive to offset project costs.
*Work completed by Pacific ECS staff at prior employer.
