tk1sc provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology services on this 38,900 square-foot law enforcement training center design-build project. The two-story building was certified by the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training and includes classrooms, training simulation labs, a fitness lab, locker room, an armory, and mat room for physical combat training.
Mechanical Solutions: The Owners Project Requirements challenged tk1sc to provide a high level of indoor air quality important for learning environments and utilize critical spaces when the central utility plant was unavailable. We selected a hybrid system using Custom Rooftop VAV Air Handling Units and VRF. Chilled and hot water was available from the campus loop but required a booster pump design to achieve the necessary pressure. The AHU system served the entire building using a combination of standard VAV terminal units, terminal units with hot water reheat, and series fan-powered units with hot water reheat depending upon space needs. A VRF system capable of operating independently while still receiving fresh outside air from the AHU's serves critical program spaces.
Careful design integration and building energy modeling allowed our team to reduce the size of the HVAC system given in the OPR by 35%, saving cost and 43 tons of air conditioning load.
Electrical Solutions: The electrical design's primary focus was to provide an overall quality and maintainability commensurate with a long-term investment. The design incorporated proven technology and equipment. We designed the system using the most stringent and latest adopted editions of codes, standards and guidelines published. Early site investigation uncovered the immediate challenge of existing electrical utilities located in areas within the project scope. After careful consideration and coordination, we provided a solution for rerouting and relocating portions of existing feeders that did not disrupt existing facilities and allowed for the new facility's design as planned. Load studies confirmed that the facility could tie into the existing medium voltage loop via 15kV cables. We provided digital meters with reporting capability and transient voltage surge suppression on the main electrical service. We selected circuit breaker types and interrupting capacities based on short circuit and coordination study results. We provided high electrical load density areas such as computer rooms with servers, IT and security closets, and other special service areas with dedicated panelboards with 200% rated neutral busses. The electrical team took all necessary precautions to minimize harmonics on computer room panels. We tested and approved the electrical system to assure that the result is a system that is safe and reliable and will withstand the test of time.
Plumbing Solutions: The requirement to provide a centralized hot water heating system for a two-story building with limited interior space available to house the equipment presented a challenge that required careful consideration to provide a system for roof-top installation. We opted to select an outdoor-rated assembly of equipment to minimize the premium loss for space. The water heating assembly comprises a boiler, storage tank, circulating system, and piping recirculation. The hot water system is run from the roof down to the first-floor ceiling for recirculation and fed up to the second-floor fixtures for a more cost-efficient hot water recirculation system.
The other challenge is in the adjacent structure extension of the project, Scenario Lab. The structure is composed of area drainage at the interior and hose bibs for washdowns. We faced the challenge of providing two gravity systems to mediate the liquid waste by running all drainage from the space to the storm drain system with permission from the city and Orange County Sanitation District.
Technology Solutions: The specific function and purpose of this new 2-story building necessitated multiple systems for safety and security purposes. Video surveillance system design included a mix of fixed and pan-tilt-zoom indoor and outdoor megapixel IP cameras while access control systems featuring panic buttons, glass break sensors, electric door locks, and card readers, among other devices. We included an Emergency2-way communication system, wireless and hard-wired data network infrastructure, Voice over IP telephones, and wireless synchronized clocks throughout the facility.
