Top 10 Engineering Projects for 2020

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY

SIG completed an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit and Retro-Commissioning services for 237 Park Avenue to meet the Local Law 87 requirements. Working closely with the entire building engineering team at RXR Realty, SIG developed an efficient testing schedule with a multi-step process to separate seasonal testing of all the major mechanical systems. Valuable feedback during the RCx process provided insight on how to best optimize the buildings BMS and current operation. In total eighty-two (82) pieces of equipment were tested throughout the process. Multiple recommendations and preventive maintenance tasks were identified that helped the on-site team better understand existing systems and identify improvements to operate the building more efficiently. SIG’s Flextech status with NYSERDA allowed RXR Realty Group to receive funding that covered half the cost of the services. SIG continues to work with RXR team members, tracking energy consumption at the building via Energy Star portfolio manager and helping track the implementation of energy conservation recommendations provided during the LL87 scope of work.

SIG Engineer: Andrew Cheek, Senior Commissioning Authority

2900 K Street, Washington, DC

2900 K Street is 160,514 square foot office building located in Washington, DC. SIG provided engineering services in the form of an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit. The engineering team was responsible for assessing the building’s current operations and make recommendations to improve energy efficiency. SIG was able to find several recommendations that would result in improving energy efficiency by 16% and approximately $57,000 annual energy cost savings.

SIG Engineer: Jeff Stewart, PE; Senior Energy Consultant

333 West Wacker, Chicago, IL

333 West Wacker is a 1,012,961 square foot office building located in Chicago, IL. SIG provided engineering services in the form of an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit as well as engineering services as part of the ongoing LEED EB: O+M certification process. For the energy audit services, the engineering team was responsible for assessing the building’s current operations and make recommendations to improve energy efficiency. SIG was able to find several recommendations that would result in improving energy efficiency by 14% and approximately $176,500 annual energy cost savings.

SIG Engineer: Jeff Stewart, PE; Senior Energy Consultant

ARM Bldg. 150, San Jose, CA

ARM Bldg. 150 is a 74k square foot 2-story building located at 150 Rose Orchard Way in San Jose, CA. The project is undergoing interior improvements, is targeting Gold under the LEED V3 CI rating system and contracted SIG to support the design team by providing an Energy Model as well as Fundamental and Enhanced commissioning services. Key building upgrades include new windows, LED lighting, plumbing and a new full service cafeteria.

SIG Engineers:

Nick Kassanis, PE; President
Dallas Terry, Senior Energy Consultant

Atlanta Airport T-Gate Expansion, Atlanta, GA

SIG was hired to perform an Energy Model to document Energy Performance for the LEED certification of an expansion of the T-Gate at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. SIG performed three iterations of the model to identify opportunities for energy efficiency compared against the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 energy code while the expansion was being tied into the existing chiller plant for the airport. SIG explored opportunities in control strategies, daylighting levels and ventilation rate procedures to maximize energy efficiency while maintaining the levels of occupant comfort required by LEED standards.

SIG Engineer: Aditya “Bala” Balamurali, Energy Consultant

Georgia Pacific Center, Atlanta, GA

SIG completed Commissioning services for Georgia Pacific’s Commercial interiors build out in the Georgia Pacific Center. Georgia Pacific built out a total of twenty-two (22) floors of the building with new Air-Handling Units, Terminal VAVs and PIUs, and IT equipment. In order to ensure that that project was handed off smoothly with minimal issues, SIG worked closely with the general contractor, HVAC and controls vendors, and the entire buildings engineering team to develop an efficient testing schedule with a multi-step process to separate seasonal testing of all the major mechanical systems. During the commissioning process valuable feedback was provided to the owners and contractors to aid in the projects timely turnover schedule and operation. Multiple recommendations and preventive maintenance tasks were identified that helped the on-site team better identify improvements to operate the building more efficiently. SIG tested over 200 pieces of equipment to ensure everything was installed and operating as designed for the owner and tenants.

SIG Engineer: Andrew Cheek, Senior Commissioning Authority

GRESB: SL Green | PGI | Shorenstein

GRESB is a global portfolio-level assessment that recognizes the top ESG performers in the real estate industry. In 2020, SIG provided consulting and engineering support for three portfolios completing the GRESB survey. The three portfolios, which accounted for more than 57 million square feet, were evaluated on management and performance by the GRESB reviewers. Two portfolios saw a 2-point increase from the previous year’s score while another portfolio increased 6 points on the 100-point scale. GRESB is quickly becoming the most versatile and competitive survey in corporate real estate and SIG’s efforts to highlight portfolio successes contributed to each client surpassing other corporations in their peer group. Two of the three portfolios earned 5 stars, recognizing them as industry leaders in sustainability. Specific highlights include: 29 out of 30 points for one client in the management category, an average of 15 points over the GRESB average in the performance score, and an increase in peer group rankings.

SIG Technical Team Member: Katherine Glover, Technical Services Coordinator

Kilroy Centre Del Mar, San Diego, CA

SIG was hired to perform Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) testing, ventilation testing and to perform ASHRAE Level I Energy Audits on 3579, 3611, 3661 and 3721 Valley Centre Drive (Kilroy Centre Del Mar) in San Diego, CA as part of a v4.1 LEED application.

The IAQ testing involved performing three rounds of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) measurement on each floor of the four buildings to ensure that air quality standards met LEED v4.1 standards. In conjunction with this IAQ testing, SIG measured ventilation rates for each building’s Air Conditioning units and compared these rates against the ASHRAE 62.1 standards by considering the ventilation need for each space in the building within the constraints of the HVAC equipment.

SIG also conducted ASHRAE Level I Energy Audits of all four buildings by performing walkthroughs of the buildings to identify equipment, discussing operational details with building engineers and analyzing utility consumption data. In this study, several Energy Conservation Measures were identified in each building, including a plan to replace existing R-22 units with R-410a units in order to ease the mandated transition to more ozone-layer friendly refrigerants and to increase energy efficiency of the HVAC systems.

SIG Engineer: Aditya “Bala” Balamurali, Energy Consultant

UPS Regional Consolidation Hub, Middletown, PA

UPS Regional Consolidation Hub is a 835,000 sf 1-story building located in Middletown, PA. SIG provided sustainability consulting services related to Green Globes 2013 for this project. The engineering team was responsible for energy performance assessment. The project is a UPS hub used for parcel sorting, distribution and storage. The main hub in the center of the site is a large warehouse with inner office pods. SIG was able to build an energy model according to the Green Globes guidance and assess the proposed design with 15% energy savings.

SIG Engineer: Lili Yu, Associate Energy Consultant

The Berkman, Rochester, MN

SIG was hired to performed Energy Modeling, Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning services on The Berkman as part of the full LEED scope for a LEED v3 New Construction project. The Berkman is a 14-story multifamily mixed-use building located in Rochester, Minnesota adjacent to the renowned Mayo Clinic. Working with the designers and architects from progress drawing sets of the building to final construction sets, SIG provided reviews of drawing sets and submittals to assess equipment selection and positioning, recommending adjustments to improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort, operational ease, and safety to meet current standards for each. SIG also developed three iterations of whole building energy simulations to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the Variable Refrigerant Flow systems and other HVAC systems used in the building, providing suggestions for efficiency improvements throughout the process. Throughout the construction and handover process, SIG performed third-party verifications on behalf of the owners (Alatus) to confirm that the equipment was installed as per specifications and as shown in the final construction drawing sets. SIG also performed functional performance testing to ensure the operations of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment performed as designed and maintained the levels of occupant comfort and operational efficiency required by LEED standards.