To achieve its groundbreaking net-zero status in the hospitality industry, Hotel Marcel is targeting LEED platinum and Passive House certifications through the installation of: rooftop and parking solar power canopy arrays; electric car charging stations; a high-performance envelope; an energy recovery system; high-efficiency heat pumps; and low-voltage LED lighting technology. The project also utilized recycled and local construction materials to maximize sustainability efforts.

The post Hotel Marcel first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Hotel Marcel appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Expansion of a 24/7 live heating plant serving nearly two dozen campus buildings with high-pressure steam
• Migration of existing equipment exhaust from the original steam tower to the new
• Construction in the heart of the occupied academic campus with significant pedestrian and vehicular traffic

Boston College’s existing five-story Central Heating Plant operates and maintains three high-pressure steam boilers providing service for up to 22 campus buildings. The expansion project included the construction of a new addition connected to the existing live plant to house two new boilers. Additionally, the existing boiler exhaust chimney was dismantled and two of the existing boilers were migrated to exhaust out of a newly constructed exhaust stack erected atop the new structure. Other equipment installed included a new 13.8 kilowatt (kW) switchgear, emergency generator, AHU, VRF system and a fuel storage system.

Construction of the steel-framed addition required deep excavation work and support of excavation (SOE) with both water and sewer lines being routed around the footprint. Enabling work included the relocation of an emergency backup generator, transfer gear, fuel storage tank and a storage building removal. Safety hazard mitigation was a key focus in pre-construction and throughout the project, as the addition was being completed while the heating plant was fully occupied by the plant facility staff. Additionally, the project site was located in the heart of the occupied academic campus with over 14,000 students being routed around the site daily, requiring vehicular and pedestrian re-routing plans and communication.

The post Central Heating Plant Upgrade & Expansion first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Central Heating Plant Upgrade & Expansion appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Installation of a chilled water plant, new underground piping systems and a Distech Controls Building Energy Management System (EMS) to collect occupancy data supporting demand control ventilation
• Over $500K saved in Mechanical and Electrical trade costs through design-assist partnerships
• 13% reduction in modeled Energy Use Intensity after first year in operation

Located in the heart of campus, Brooks School’s Center for the Arts consists of three interconnected structures: one each for performance, music and visual arts. To achieve Brooks School’s performance and operational standards, Consigli managed the project focused on energy optimization.

With the new building elevation interfering with the existing steam line, campus steam and electric utilities had to be relocated. To support the steam and chilled water enabling, Consigli installed a new chilled water plant and new 12 inch steam and condensate underground piping systems, flowing from the boiler plant through the basement of the new building and back to the rest of the campus. A variable refrigerant flow (VRF) with a heat recovery system now supports areas needing year-round cooling.

A Distech Controls Building Energy Management System (EMS) featuring a wireless lighting control system was installed for the new facility. Wireless occupancy sensors now collect occupancy data to support demand control ventilation through CO2 sensors in every classroom, providing building occupants with the proper amount of ventilation, cooling and heating. After one year of operation, site energy proved 13% better than the modeled Energy Use Intensity of 40 British thermal units (BTU) per sq. ft.

The post Building Intelligence at Center for the Arts first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Building Intelligence at Center for the Arts appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Deep energy retrofit of dated building infrastructure to improve overall efficiency
• Management of a full roof replacement, façade skinning and new infrastructure installation
• Complex phasing, safety and communication plans in place to safely and efficiently conduct work around elderly building occupants

Millers River Apartments is a 19-story apartment building featuring 297 low-income, senior and respite housing units. The high-rise has gone largely untouched since its original 1970’s construction, calling for a deep energy retrofit and renovation of the dated building infrastructure, with a significant goal being to improve the building’s systems and thermal efficiency. Individual units and common areas are being revitalized, and the exterior is receiving a full roof replacement and total reskinning of the façade, which requires the removal of existing balconies to increase unit square footage.

Because of the apartment complex’s thermal load needs, a 125 kilowatt (kW) trigeneration system is being installed. Hot water from the engine supplements the building’s heating needs, while the installation of a 600 MBH hot water absorption chiller supports cooling needs. The new heating plant features hot water boilers and indirect water heaters for domestic water, and the cooling plant features a high-efficiency 325 ton air-cooled chiller. To increase resident comfort, the building envelope is also being refitted to provide more insulation, and each apartment now features a four-pipe fan coil system. LED lighting is being installed throughout the building in lieu of the existing halogens and fluorescent lights.

The post Millers River Apartments Retrofit first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Millers River Apartments Retrofit appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Keeping the cooling and heating systems operational during renovations
• Working in and around a fully occupied campus
• Removing a wall from a building while keeping the remaining walls structurally sound

Clark University’s on-campus cogeneration plant serves as a demonstration model for both students and policy-makers alike for its sustainable and cost-effective benefits. Installed in 1982 as the first power-grid-connected cogeneration plant in the nation, over 90% of Clark’s campus buildings receive their electricity, heating and cooling as a result of this system, saving the school over $8,000,000 over its 24-year life at Clark. The 60,000 pound, 1.8 megawatt (MW) generator showed signs of age and needed to be replaced with a more efficient system. Located in the basement of Jonas Clark Hall, the removal and replacement involved demolishing an entire wall of an occupied building, installation of a new 46,000 pound, 2 MW generator and the replacement of the wall with additional structural modifications.

The project also involved the replacement of three heat exchange systems and the existing generator room exhaust system, as well as the installation of a new selective catalytic reduction system to meet emission standards, new engine controls and a new transformer. Protecting the campus quad and underground utilities while rigging the engine and heat recovery steam generator proved to be a challenge that was managed through great coordination. The project was delivered under a design-build method, enabling completion to be on budget and on schedule, specifically with National Grid interconnection. Consigli assisted the University in selling the existing engine for reuse.

The post Cogeneration Plant first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Cogeneration Plant appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Resiliency efforts located all critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment in the building’s mezzanine and roof spaces
• Raising of the ground floor by 19.5 inchesin anticipation of rising sea levels in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood
• Built in adherence with LEED V4 as well as GE’s internal wellness program, HealthAhead and the principles of the WELL Building Standard

General Electric (GE) has developed a new campus along the Fort Point Channel in Boston’s Seaport comprised of two historic brick-and-beam buildings at 5 and 6 Necco Court that once housed the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO). Originally built in 1907, these buildings were completely restored to productive use after being largely vacant and unkempt for decades. The upper levels of North Point hosts offices for up to 280 people as well as internal GE makerspace, with the ground floor hosting Brilliant Labs classrooms, public makerspace and a waterfront bistro.

Perhaps most important to North Point’s design is resiliency. The design located all critical mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment in the building’s mezzanine and roof spaces, and in anticipation of rising sea levels, the ground floor was raised 19.5 inches—roughly two feet above Boston’s 500-year flood line and FM Global’s required flood line. Pitched crawlspace slab-on-grade and strip drains throughout the footprint improve drainage of anticipated flooding, and at the West of the building, Solite Lightweight Aggregate filters stormwater runoff and drains surrounding soil. Resiliency measures also include the incorporation of green roofs, a stormwater retention tank, water reuse systems, below-grade foundation waterproofing and leak detection systems.

The campus was built in adherence with LEED V4 as well as GE’s internal wellness program, HealthAhead and the principles of the WELL Building Standard.

The post Resiliency at North Point first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Resiliency at North Point appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Integration of a new central utility plant in the existing building that is capable of servicing the new campus
• Installation of three 1,000-ton high-efficiency chillers and supporting infrastructure
• Five new substations to serve both the new clean room and existing building

Insulet Corporation, the leader in tubeless insulin pump technology (Omnipods), acquired a property in Acton, MA to serve as its sole U.S.-based manufacturing location. The new facility provides capacity for Insulet to manufacture up to 70% more Omnipods on a single line with up to 90% fewer personnel than its four locations based in China. The existing 201,690 sq. ft., three-story building was converted to a high-end corporate and manufacturing campus featuring space for research and development, post-market research and quality control operations, a call center, an employee fitness center with locker rooms, a cafeteria and commercial kitchen as well as open offices, conference rooms and executive suites. The 155,252 sq. ft. addition, provides clean room manufacturing and warehouse space, quarantine inspection and receiving areas, a gowning and wash unit, packaging rooms and a shipping/receiving area.

As part of the addition, Consigli installed three 1,000 ton water-cooled centrifugal high-efficiency chillers, as well as the associated pumps and cooling towers. This scope required a phased demolition and installation of the new cooling and heating equipment. As part of the building’s addition, Consigli also managed the installation of five new substations—four to serve the new clean room and one to serve the existing building.

The post Infrastructure at the Manufacturing and Corporate Offices Facility first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Infrastructure at the Manufacturing and Corporate Offices Facility appeared first on Consigli Construction.

The new six-story concrete structure features two housing clusters of 14 residents per floor, situated in single-occupancy rooms that surround a shared common area, dining space and kitchen. The facility is targeting LEED Silver Net-zero Ready standards and features sustainable elements including geothermal wells, photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency systems and a high-performance envelope. Due to the Community Living Center’s close proximity to the sensitive and operational Quigley Building, extensive coordination and mitigation measures were takento keep patients, staff and visitors safe and undisturbed during all phases of construction.

The existing St. Michael the Archangel Chapel is receiving selective façade repairs and remains operational throughout the multi-phased campus construction. Careful demolition of a connector between the Chapel and the Quigley Building is required prior to the full abatement and demolition of the hospital. The former site of the Quiqley Building will create new greenspace and a site entrance to the facility.

The post Veteran’s Home in Chelsea Community Living Center first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Veteran’s Home in Chelsea Community Living Center appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Upgraded site utilities and redundant lifelines while ensuring uninterrupted service to MathWorks’ corporate data center
• Pre-construction support in simplifying the future chiller removal and replacement process
• Reduced cost and increased reliability through data center equipment design changes

MathWorks embarked on the creation of a new multi-building campus to support their growing employee population. Following the construction of a new, 569-space parking garage, MathWorks selected Consigli to continue our presence on site and act as the construction manager for the new 525,000 sq. ft. campus. The Lakeside Campus features collaborative office and meeting spaces; a fitness center; wellness and recreation space; a full-service kitchen and cafeteria; outdoor social spaces; a green roof; and a 10,000 sq. ft. level-4 data center. The buildings boast high-end finishes and technology to support this innovative organization. Sustainable elements include a greywater harvesting system and photovoltaic panels.

During the design process, our pre-construction team worked with the engineers and architects to design an area to simplify future chiller removal and replacement. Rather than having separate direct expansion (DX) cooling equipment, data center equipment featured rear-door heat exchangers—or active chilled doors—reducing cost and increasing reliability. The project also included two feeds, a substation with a 13.8 kilowatt (kW) feed and a back-up 2 megawatt (MW) diesel generator for resiliency and redundancy. The project also consisted of extensive utility upgrades and demolition of two of the three existing buildings, while the MathWorks’ data center and employees occupied the remaining building—LS1.

The post Lakeside Campus Infrastructure first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Lakeside Campus Infrastructure appeared first on Consigli Construction.

• Utilization of the SkySpark platform for ongoing data collection, providing data for Holbrook’s building operators to identify potential issues, reduced downtime and operational saving opportunities
• Post-construction support through a three-year Building Analytics Solution partnership
• 7% decrease in gas consumption after the first year of operation

In order to update and improve their existing schools, the Town of Holbrook embarked upon the construction of a new 217,353 sq. ft. Pre K-12 school. The new school consolidated three aging buildings into one, with separate wings for grades Pre K-5 and 6-12. After the first year of the new building’s operation, Consigli offered Holbrook a three-year Building Analytics Solution to proactively identify and methodically address potential issues as the school’s facilities staff adjusted to the updated building management systems. With the support of the SkySpark platform’s ongoing data collection, Holbrook’s building operators were able to analyze data from smart devices, meters and equipment systems to identify potential issues, reduced downtime and operational saving opportunities.

Using SkyFoundry and its SkySpark platform, Holbrook now has the ability to monitor equipment health, comfort and energy, as well as identify equipment that may not be operating as commissioned. Although the building was performing below the modeled baseline after one year of operation with an Energy Star score of 76, the team has a goal of increasing this score to 85 through the ongoing commissioning process.

The post Pre-K12 School Energy Optimization first appeared on Consigli Construction.

The post Pre-K12 School Energy Optimization appeared first on Consigli Construction.