Case Studies
The Veterans Home of California
West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

VALUE DELIVERED
Increased capacity for meeting the needs of the state’s war veterans; optimum facility comfort and productivity; use of leading-edge technology to deliver the project faster, more efficiently; timely project completion while maintaining maximum safety standards; ability to perform the work in limited spaces; extensive fabrication of components that satisfied the facility’s unique design characteristics; ability to get the job done by working cooperatively with other construction team members.

OBJECTIVES
To build a new facility that would accommodate the state’s growing number of war veterans.

SOLUTIONS
To help this client reach its objectives, University Marelich Mechanical, Inc. (UMMI) furnished and installed the HVAC system, including the central plant and all piping, sheet metal, and ductwork, for this five-building project, a crescent-shaped 370,000-sf unit.

Located in a separate facility, the central plant supplies heating hot water and chilled water to the main building through underground supply and return lines. The plant also supports the building’s electrical distribution center, including the emergency generator, and contains the control room, where a building management system uses predetermined set points to operate and control the equipment.

The HVAC equipment is separated into three locations: the chiller room, the boiler room, and the cooling towers. The chiller room houses two 500-ton chillers along with two condenser pumps and two chilled water pumps. The boiler room has three boilers with a capacity of 7-million BTU’s. Two of these boilers heat the building, while the third heats domestic water. Two 500-ton cooling towers support the chillers.

In addition to the central plant, UMMI installed:

• 10 air handling units with a total capacity of 447,000 cfm
• General exhaust systems • 120 variable and 420 constant air volume boxes
• 2,846 air distribution devices
• 371,311 lbs. of aluminum exhaust ductwork, 316-gauge stainless steel exhaust ductwork, and galvanized ductwork
• 3,644 lbs. of welded stainless steel grease duct
• Over 7 miles of steel and copper piping.

Overall, the company spent 5,312 hours in shop duct fabrication and 87,015 man-hours on field HVAC installation, detailing, and building information modeling (BIM).

Not surprisingly, a project of this scope presented a number of challenges. As work progressed from building to building, for example, the amount of structural steel continued to increase, reducing the amount of space available for building systems. By the time work reached the fourth building, there was minimal space for large ductwork and other mechanical, engineering, and plumbing (MEP) applications.

The size of the air-handling units presented another problem. They had to be delivered in four separate sections, lifted onto the roof, and assembled in place. And since the ductwork in the crescent-shaped main corridors had to follow a constant radius, efforts to coordinate with other trades were also difficult.

The BIM solution
UMMI’s BIM technology expertise played a major role in meeting these challenges. This project management strategy lets the construction team put all building information into a centralized database, where it can be used to visualize the project in 3-D even before site work begins. By doing this modeling and then coordinating the work using NavisWorks collision software, the construction team could resolve conflicts before they occurred. Furthermore, the accuracy of the coordinated BIM model meant cut sheets, CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) files, and spooled assemblies could be created directly from the database.

To handle the constant building radius, UMMI used another leading-edge technology, the robotic total station. This device lets contractors perform layout tasks more efficiently than conventional mechanical systems. By placing control points on the deck and mitering the HVAC systems to the radius, the company could ensure conformity with the BIM model. This enabled the installations to flow smoothly throughout the radius. At the same time, it eliminated the man-hours that might have been required for excessive fittings and re-work.

Furthermore, by putting all of the component sections together in one composite BIM model, UMMI could effectively validate HVAC system continuity. At the same time, this approach allowed the company to accurately put in supports and structural members before installing the roofing and mechanical, further improving project quality and timeliness.

Another technology that provides ongoing benefits to owners is BIM-Link™. This was the first project in Southern California to take advantage of this web-based application. BIM-Link includes a central depository for drawings, building models, training videos, submittals, and operation and maintenance information. By accessing this depository online, the owner can find all of the information necessary to maintain the building without the laborious task of fumbling through manuals. The result is more efficient and and effective ongoing operations and maintenance activities.

Through its effective combination of teamwork and technology, UMMI delivered this project on time and under budget. Perhaps most impressive of all, the company went 30 months with only one mechanical safety incident at the job site.

Additional Information: Both the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and the California Association of Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors (CAL-SMACNA) recognized UMMI with first-place awards for safety excellence. In addition, CAL-SMACNA presented UMMI with the Tom Guilfoy Memorial Craftsmanship of the Year Award for this project. The award recognized UMMI for its attention to detail and expertise, and for exemplifying teamwork among sheet metal workers, contractors, and owners.

BACKGROUND
A significant portion of the mission of the California Department of Veterans Affairs is to provide the state’s aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care and services in a home-like environment. Primarily a place where veterans come to live, the veterans’ home offers complete medical and dental care amidst the amenities of a small town atmosphere. The facility has 84 beds to care for the elderly, 252 beds for skilled nursing, and 60 beds for long term care of dementia patients.

Back to top