Design by Committee: Why Good is Preferred over Great

Cory Ziegler, Merrick & Co.

There are many competing criteria to consider when designing laboratory ventilation systems. Air changes, energy recovery strategies, energy sources, and redundancy are typical considerations. How can we help owners ensure that their facility provides them with sustainable operations?

Energy use is only part of the equation. Ease of operation and maintenance is another--and perhaps more critical--piece of the puzzle. To balance the maintenance and performance of these systems, consultants must leverage the full resources of the team.

Using the California Animal Health & Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory as a case study, we will explore the benefits and challenges of this approach. For this project, the owner challenged us to design a maintainable, energy-efficient ventilation system. The facility was remote, and thus maintenance was critical. Most of the building is ventilated with 100% outside air, including the large animal necropsy suite. Air change rates are high, cost of energy is high, and we had to beat Title-24 by 20%.

This presentation will not advocate a particular design solution, but rather a balanced design approach. Each project has its own unique criteria. As consultants, we often face engineering challenges. We love coming up with new ways to solve old problems. However, these new approaches aren't always palatable to the team. No owner wants their building to be your experiment. How can innovative solutions survive the design process to become reality?

We will tell our story in this presentation, exploring what went well and what did not. In the end we beat Title-24 by almost 27%. But our greatest challenge was getting stakeholder buy-in. Other project examples will be touched on to further illustrate these concepts.

Learning Objectives

  • Participants will be able to distinguish between design goals and design tactics.
  • Participants will be able to formulate a productive framework for negotiating with stakeholders when competing criteria stall a decision.
  • Participants will be able to identify and overcome common obstacles to creative design strategies.

Biographies:

Cory Ziegler, PE, of Merrick & Company, has over 19 years of experience with design, contract administration, and commissioning of specialty systems for universities and governments world-wide. Mr. Ziegler has been involved in more than 15 projects which use Liquid Effluent Decontamination systems. Mr. Ziegler has extensive field experience during construction, commissioning, and operation, which allows for real life examination of design solutions, constructability, and maintenance.

 

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