City of Hope Campus Energy Center
Challenge
City of Hope required a new central utility plant to support its growing campus. The challenge was to design a system that could meet the current and future cooling demands while optimizing energy efficiency and minimizing construction costs.
Solution
Mazzetti provided MEP design and lighting design services as part of a design-build team. The solution included a central cooling plant designed for 8,000 tons of cooling, expandable to 12,800 tons. The system incorporated an existing 1.2 million-gallon Thermal Storage (TES) tank to decouple the primary/secondary pumping system, address thermal expansion, and achieve electrical rate peak shaving. The design eliminated a common condenser water system, saving over $700,000 in construction costs and reducing the building height from 36 feet to 22 feet. The plant includes two modules of chillers operating in parallel, with provisions for future expansion.
Key Features
- Central Cooling Plant: Designed for 8,000 tons of cooling, expandable to 12,800 tons, ensuring scalability for future needs.
- Thermal Storage (TES) Tank: Incorporates a 1.2 million-gallon TES tank to decouple the primary/secondary pumping system, address thermal expansion, and achieve electrical rate peak shaving.
- Cost Savings: The design eliminated a common condenser water system, saving over $700,000 in construction costs.
- Reduced Building Height: The design reduced the building height from 36 feet to 22 feet, optimizing space utilization.
Key Features
- Modular Design: Two modules of chillers operating in parallel, with provisions for future expansion, ensuring flexibility and minimal disruption during future upgrades.
- Emergency Power Provisions: Two chillers, cooling towers, and pumps are provided with emergency power to operate in case of an emergency.
- Electrical Distribution: New 12KV, 20 Mega electrical service, equipment, and distribution back feeding normal circuit branches on campus.
- Tier 4 Compliance: The generator system is designed to meet Tier 4 compliance standards.
Outcome
The new central utility plant significantly improved the campus’ energy efficiency and reduced operational costs. The elimination of the common condenser water system resulted in substantial construction cost savings, and the design’s flexibility allows for future expansion with minimal disruption. The project also enhanced the campus’ resilience with emergency power provisions and compliance with Tier 4 generator standards.
Project Team
