Eleanor Roosevelt College at University of California,
San Diego

Mechanical Construction: HVAC, Piping & Plumbing Systems

VALUE DELIVERED

• Efficient and reliable mechanical systems installation
• ability to accommodate a growing student population
• expert mechanical construction services and solutions
• more educational opportunities in a unique learning environment.

MECHANCIAL & PLUMBING SCOPE OF WORK

UMEC crews performed all of the plumbing systems and mechanical construction for 20 buildings, totaling 466,290 square feet. Among them were 14 residence halls and apartments with 1,238 beds, two full-service laundry facilities, a fully equipped kitchen and dining facility that seats 300 people, and an administrative/office building.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITY BACKGROUND

Founded in 1988, Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) is one of six undergraduate colleges that comprise the University of California, San Diego. Since opening, it has grown steadily. ERC currently enrolls more than 3,300 undergraduate men and women. The school’s facilities were designed especially for ERC by eminent international architect Moshe Safdie.

CONSTRUCTION OBJECTIVES

To expand its educational capabilities with the addition of new student housing, a dining commons, a student activity center and other facilities.

MECHANICAL, HVAC & PLUMBING SOLUTIONS

To complete this large and complex mechanical construction project, UMEC performed all of the plumbing and mechanical work for 20 buildings, covering 466,290 square feet. Among them were 14 residence halls and apartments, two full-service laundry facilities, a fully equipped kitchen, a dining facility and an administrative/office building.

To meet the new buildings' extensive needs, UMEC constructed 10 mechanical rooms housing a full array of boilers, hydronic pumps, domestic hot water heaters, storage tanks and circulating pumps. Two of the mechanical rooms also contain chillers and air handlers. All of this was connected by a complex network consisting of virtually miles of piping.

The student housing HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) installation was a good example of the project’s complexity. In these facilities, the company put in wall-mounted radiant heaters that use hot water from gas-fired boilers in 11 locations.