The University Center Complex consists of two residential towers (19 and 21 stories) connected by a three-story student center, including conference rooms, food service, a game room, a gym and fitness center, and student study areas.
GBA commissioned MEP and fire protection systems, including fan-powered terminal units, water-cooled package AC units, exhaust fans, three gas-fired boilers, hot water pumps, seven air-handling units, 34 VAV terminal boxes, 388 water-source heat pumps, a cooling tower, plate-and-frame heat exchangers, and various other HVAC equipment. Plumbing systems included domestic hot water gas-fired heaters, sump pumps, sewage ejector pumps, and various other pumps and related equipment. Electrical systems included 35 distribution panels/panelboards, seven automatic transfer switches, 12 transformers, two service switches/switchboards, an emergency generator, and lighting controls.
Sustainable features that added complexity to the commissioning process included high-efficiency mechanical and filtration systems; daylighting; water-efficient plumbing; rainwater collection for irrigation; and occupancy sensors.
Design-phase commissioning, including design document reviews, identified 195 items needing attention. Construction-phase commissioning identified 470 issues, the majority of which were resolved during the process. Major issues identified during the project included:
- Multiple issues involving control of primary air-handling units, including sequences of operation and interaction with the BAS software affecting warmup modes and an outdoor air reset schedule.
- Domestic water booster pumps running continuously due to incorrect setting of pressure-
reducing valves. - Continuous erroneous operation of terminal units during fire alarms, requiring changes in programming.
- A faulty control valve leaving the cooling tower and entering the suction end of pumps, preventing water from running over the top of the cooling tower. The valve was replaced.
- Dormitory water source heat pump circuit breakers were found to be under-sized, requiring installation of different wiring and breakers. This issue was identified before most of the heat pumps were installed, saving time and money.
