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MODIFICATIONS, REPAIR, RENOVATION, OR ADDITIONS TO
EXISTING FACILITIES
1.
Our approach to
the design of this project would generally follow our "New Construction Project
Plan of Execution" except as follows. The contract documents for federally
funded maintenance and repair projects for existing facilities must be more
complete and detailed than is required for new federally funded construction
projects. You cannot expect the contractor to perform work that is not
indicated on the contract documents. You will have to pay "extra" for work
items that are not specifically called for in the contract documents, but needed
for contract completion. This requires a greater effort on the part of the
architects and engineers to produce a more complete and detailed set of contract
documents. Spencer Engineers, Inc. (SEI) has a reputation for very complete and detailed
construction documents that preclude almost all field change orders (extras)
during construction. Our Architects and Engineers are experts preparing bidding
documents for maintenance and repair of existing facilities. Most of our
federal government projects during the past 34 years have been remodeling,
renovation, and repair projects.
The design of remodeling projects requires much more experience and knowledge
than is required for the preparation of drawings for new publicly funded
construction projects. We are very experienced and particularly adept with
working in and around existing buildings. The design and construction of
remodeling projects requires a more painstaking approach than is required for
new construction projects. More thought and planning is required to properly
phase the construction to minimize disruption of occupied portions of the
project. Our remodeling project expertise greatly improves the constructability
of our new project contract documents.
Our staff of architects and engineers are particularly well acquainted in
building operations and communicate very well with operating and maintenance
personnel. You will find that our staff is at home with tools and instruments,
as compared to the clean hands ivory tower type of engineer or architect. This
attitude generally shows through and makes our personnel more compatible with
your operating and maintenance personnel. We always take the time to explain
any changes in operating and maintenance procedures to your personnel so that
they will fully understand and believe in any procedures that we recommend.
For all projects, emphasis must be placed upon fairness to the bidders by
indicating all of the work requirements in great detail by defining the existing
conditions in order to give each bidder an equal choice and to prevent protest
after the contract award. The Bid package must clearly define the all of the
factors that conditions affect the execution of the work required by the
contract with as much definition as possible, in order to prevent contract
modifications due to contractor claims for additional work required to complete
the work.
The secret for successful remodeling projects is extensive and detailed field
investigation and documentation of existing conditions.
Our process for the design of a remodeling project, maintenance project, repair
project, or an abatement project at a site would generally be as follows:
1.1.
Project Definition:
Obtain the program requirements, or establish the program requirements through
mission analysis, personnel interviews, etc. We could (and would like to)
perform a Charette process as described previously to determine and/or to refine
the scope of work. Existing facilities have almost always defined their own
mission and facility modification requirements without our assistance. The
Charrette process brings all of the concerned people together to intensely
discuss the program and to distill a configuration for the new construction.
The Charrette will continue with the evolution/definition of a floor plan for
the new or remodeled construction.
1.2.
Field Investigations:
We are particularly adept at working in and around existing buildings. The
design and construction of remodeling projects requires a more painstaking
approach than is required for new construction projects. More thought and
planning is required to properly phase the construction so that minimum
disruption of the occupied portion of the project will occur. Our staff of
architects and engineers are particularly well acquainted in building operations
and communicate very well with operating and maintenance personnel. You will
find that our staff is at home with tools and instruments, as compared to the
clean hands ivory tower type of engineer or architect. This attitude generally
shows through and makes our personnel more compatible with your operating and
maintenance personnel. We always take the time to explain any changes in
operating and maintenance procedures to your personnel so that they will fully
understand and believe in any procedures that we recommend. Operating and
maintenance personnel generally resent outside consultants looking over their
shoulder and will not follow any procedures that they do not fully understand,
or do not fully believe in. We want your operating personnel to know that we
are on their side, and only want to help them make their operating procedure
decisions.
1.3.
Dimensionally Defining Existing Buildings:
Obtain the
as-built drawings of the facility (assuming that they exist, or field survey and
document the existing as-built conditions). This can be accomplished during the
on-site Charette process.
1.3.1.
Input the as-built drawings into CAD in the home office (if they exist).
Overnight the as-built drawings to the home office and accomplish the CAD input
before the Charette team leaves the site that the Charette team can verify the
as-built drawings before leaving the site.
1.3.2.
Move the portable CAD unit on-site, field update and field verify
as-built building drawing files. Create CAD drawings if no as-built drawings
are available. Assign one registered Architect (normally the Project Architect)
and one CAD operator to field generate CAD drawings of the Architectural
portions of the project. CAD preparation in the field allows the field
investigator to create drawings as field conditions are recorded. Missing
dimensions are readily apparent, and are corrected before leaving the project
site (actually each room). We document our field surveys with extensive
photographic and video camera records for use when we return to our home
office. These records are valuable as a tool during preparation of contract
documents.
1.3.3.
After completion of the Architectural as-built drawings, assign the
Project Mechanical Engineer and one CAD operator to field generate CAD drawings
of the mechanical systems using the Architect’s CAD drawings as a background.
1.3.4.
After completion of the Architectural and Mechanical as-built file
drawings, assign the Project Electrical Engineer and one CAD operator to field
generate CAD drawings of the Electrical systems using the Architect’s and the
Mechanical Engineer’s CAD drawings as a background.
1.3.5.
SDJ&S is accustomed to being the AE of record for projects located remote
from our office. SDJ&S knows how to be efficient with the man-hours expended
for project field investigations needed for design performance. SDJ&S knows the
information needed for design in order to minimize travel trips to the site in
order to get all of the information needed with minimum site visits.
1.4.
Field Determination of Operating Conditions:
We will provide mechanical and electrical engineers on-site for direction of the
test set-ups and for the operational testing of the chillers and boilers. We
will employ local mechanical contractors to install flow and pressure measuring
devices that might be required for accurate determination of operating
conditions. We can operate the equipment or the base operating personnel can be
utilized to assist us in the operational testing. We will supply all portable
calibrated instrumentation equipment for field measurement of temperatures and
flows. All test data will be taken and certified by one of our Registered
Professional Engineers.
1.4.1.
WATER CHILLING MACHINES: Chilled Water and Condenser water flows will be
accurately determined. Water flows can be determined by pressure drops across
heat exchangers, or more accurately by calibrated flow venturi or orifice
plate. Electrical voltage, amperage, power input, and power factors at various
operating conditions will be determined and documented.
1.4.2.
COOLING TOWERS: We will accurately determine heat rejection capacity,
wet bulb approach, entering and leaving temperatures, at different operating
conditions. Electrical voltage, amperage, power input, and power factors of the
fan motors will be determined and documented.
1.4.3.
CHILLED WATER AND CONDENSER WATER PUMPS: GPM and dynamic head will be
determined. Electrical voltage, amperage, power input, and power factors of the
pump motors will be determined and documented.
1.4.4.
BOILERS: Boiler steam pressure (and temperature for superheated steam)
and flow, fuel gas (or oil) input, boiler feed GPM, hot water flow, inlet and
outlet temperatures (for hot water boilers) and other data at full load and part
load conditions will be taken. Electrical voltage, amperage, power input, and
power factors of the boiler draft fan motors will be determined and documented.
Boiler flue Gas will be analyzed at full load and part load conditions.
1.4.5.
BOILER FEED UNITS: Boiler feedwater systems will be analyzed.
1.5.
Creating Existing Facility Plans:
We will use any existing as-built CAD file drawings after field verification of
the as-built conditions to prepare Architectural floor plans for submittal. We
will utilize ant recently created CADfiles of the as-built conditions. We will
utilize any recently CADfile drawings created as a result of the Charrette
process. The Interior space planning design should proceed concurrently with
the Architectural design in order to assure that the spaces will fit the
furniture and equipment required for the end user’s function. Engineering
system space requirements (HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection, Electrical,
Structural, etc.) will be further defined with at the preliminary design and
planning stage. Preliminary Engineering from the Charette planning will be LCCA
justified and further defined Submittals should be at various stages of
completion, such as Program, Concept, Early Preliminary, Preliminary,
Intermediate stages of completion, 65% completion, Advance Final Completion, and
Final Completion. Government Comments on each submission will be implemented
into the next submission. The more submittals and the more reviews that are
allowed, the more generally satisfied will be the end user, due to the more
input opportunities for the end user.
1.6.
Building Systems Design:
Use the as-built Architectural file drawings (Floor Plans) to prepare
Structural, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing drawings for concurrent
submittals at the various stages of design completion. These designs will
progress concurrently with the architectural design.
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