Construction Administration, Electrical, Fire Protection/Detection, Mechanical

The three-story academic center includes community outpatient clinic facilities, a learning resource center, digital radiology services, rehabilitation services and a welcome center. Careful collaboration with the construction manager, even during design phase, ensured adherence to a strict deadline and budget.

Challenges & Solutions |

• Mechanical engineers teamed with an energy modeling consultant to procure high-efficiency equipment and materials, ultimately qualifying for almost $30,000 in energy rebates from the local utility.
• A two-story atrium with over 1,000-SF of glass and a western exposure required a unique application of radiant panels below the windows and linear diffusers along the windows to provide heat throughout the Iowa winters. Daylighting sensors in this area also help with energy efficiency.
• Since the owner wanted to maximize the student-centered space and minimize mechanical space, all three floors are served by a single mechanical room on the lower level with exceptionally tightly configured equipment. Coordinated planning with a commissioning agent, even during the design phase, helped meet the owner’s exacting standards.
• The mechanical engineers developed a customized compressed air system for the adjustment tables used by chiropractors. Floor boxes were installed in numerous rooms to connect the compressed air and to eliminate a potential hazard.
• The need to accommodate potential additions or campus changes meant using modular HVAC equipment. The high-efficiency chiller plant was located just south of the new building and adjacent to the nearby campus center, near open parking and green space.
• The floor system was designed with vibration characteristics in mind to create an ideal environment for the examinations and sensitive adjustments required in the chiropractic teaching facility.
• Connected to both a four-story student center and a skywalk over a busy street, the new building’s foundation used cantilevered grade beams across the tops of drilled peers to provide framing placed directly adjacent to the existing structures.