Federal complex masters complex Controls

Engineered Systems, Dec, 2001 by Joanna R. Turpin

A difficult project is one thing, but entering a project in medias res can prove even trickier. See how one consulting firm helped steer a major federal facility overhaul toward greater efficiency and a new degree of controls interoperability, all on a tight schedule.

The Federal Center is the heart of the United States government in the city of Chicago. Comprised of the high-rise Dirksen Federal Courthouse, the Kluczynski Federal Building, and the one-story Loop Post Office pavilion, the Federal Center contains over 2.5 million sq ft of space-housing 20 government agencies including the U.S. District Courts, FBI, and IRS. Designed by renowned architect Mies van der Rohe in the late 1950s, the office towers were completed in 1964 and 1972.

By 1995, the Federal Center was in need of a significant upgrade of its building systems to reflect changes in building use and function and to keep pace with changes in office environmental standards. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which is the government agency responsible for maintaining and renovating these buildings, determined that a complete renovation of the systems' infrastructure was necessary and would include fire protection, life safety, electrical power, telecommunications, and hvac.

Included in this renovation was a complete overhaul of the buildings' control systems. Over the years various types of controls had been put in place -- ranging from the original pneumatic to electric controls to some early direct digital control (ddc) systems. After careful evaluation of the latest technologies available, the GSA decided to convert the entire Federal Center complex to an open control system architecture.

NEW SYSTEM CHOSEN

The original specification and design that went out for bid was done in the typical way; that is, 25% design accompanied by a performance specification. Proprietary and open controls companies bid on the project, and the contract was eventually awarded to an open controls company, which would install a system based on LonWorks technology. However, the minimal design specification did not clearly identify the nuances that often arise in an open control system.

This left some room for interpretation by the contractor, whose choices did not necessarily promote the level of interoperability that the GSA expected. In addition, this contractor, who was responsible for basically bringing the main mechanical systems on-line, ran into some other difficulties, which delayed Phase I completion. When the second contractor came on board to install Phase II, the architecture wasn't in place for him to tie in his devices.

As a result, there was some tension between the two contractors that ended in the hiring of Teng and Associates (Chicago). "We were brought in initially to help resolve the system integration disputes that were coming up with regards to the open systems that were going in; the existing specification and design did not address integration," says John Huston, P.E., Teng and Associates.

Teng identified the interoperability issues that were arising and was subsequently contracted to redesign the systems, and coordinate the work of the two initial contractors. "It was a fairly interesting position," says Huston. "Both contractors had a contract and a proprietary specification and design that really did not promote interoperability. The GSA was convinced that they wanted to continue the development of the open system proposed by the Phase I contractor. However, neither contract specified how to address coordination issues. Further complicating the matter, the specification for Phase II stated that the control system manufacturer for the second phase must be the same as the control system manufacturer installed in Phase I."

Teng's assignment was to provide the GSA with the open interoperable system they expected without redesigning everything that was in place. In addition, Teng wanted to find a way to have the two contractors complete their projects without having to implement major changeorders.

PRIORITIES MAPPED OUT

Since the original specification and design was proprietary, it became obvious that the Phase I contractor was counting on being awarded the second phase. However, a different contractor/manufacturer was awarded Phase II, and the Phase I contractor was terminated, leaving the system in disarray. Teng's scope expanded to the redesign of the remaining work.

"First of all, we performed a complete onsite investigation of the existing conditions to determine what the first phase contractor accomplished, and then we had to recover what was left," says Huston.

So Teng started a priority list. The first priority was to get the 19 air handlers, located on the 30th floor in Dirksen, under control. Each air handler controlled a specific federal courtroom. The air handlers were old and in various states of disrepair, but they weren't replaced; rather, they were fully reconditioned with new dampers and actuators. Teng quickly developed the design and construction documents to replace the control system for these air handlers with LonWorks-based programmable controllers. An emergency procurement was sent out to bid based on these documents.