Making a difference

pathfinder provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection engineering and energy modeling for the renovation of this 74,588 sq. ft. building.

the complex houses 1,100 students in four wings and a central quad area. renovations are being completed in three phases with phases 1 and 2 completed and phase 3 in construction.

during phase 1 renewal an existing two story dining hall was renovated to create food service, student laundry, a fitness room and seating areas. additional work included replacement heating, plumbing, power and data systems. a new fire protection system was added for student safety.

design includes new fire alarm and sprinkler systems, updated power and data in all resident rooms, creation of study areas, kitchenettes and gathering locations on each floor of the towers and rowhouses, improvements to ventilation systems including energy recovery technologies and replacement of all lighting with modern led fixtures.

boiler decentralization

in a separate project, pathfinder provided full service design for the decentralization of the existing boiler plant as part of a multi phased project. pathfinder’s design included two high efficiency condensing style boilers in each building with a service connection for an optional third boiler. the modular system provides heat for both the building and production of domestic hot water.

a ddc building management control system was installed to monitor and manage boiler, pump and control valve operation and was incorporated into the campus network.

electrical upgrades supports the new mechanical equipment.

pathfinder provided award winning mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineering and energy modeling for the $14 million project. this 55,000 sq. ft. three story building was completely renovated to accommodate criminal science, biology and nursing academic programs.  the building also houses academic laboratories, nursing suites, laboratory media preparation and chemical storage areas, lecture halls, student lounges and faculty offices. the high performance design meets goals to achieve leed gold certification with 25 energy & atmosphere leed points, plus 1 point for superior performance. the ea credit 1 for optimizing energy performance was 19 points (the maximum allowed for a renovation).

pathfinder provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering and energy modeling as part of the complete renovation of monroe hall. the dormitory was constructed in the early 1960s and is 52,000 sq. ft. the purpose of this project was to improve functionality, appearance and accessibility, in addition to a complete renovation to the mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems within the residence hall. the renovation provided for 180 beds and common rooms, kitchenettes, conference room, seminar room, media room, recreation area and computer lab. 

pathfinder provided mechanical, fire protection engineering and energy modeling for the renovations and addition at paine and zenger residence halls along with a connecting building supporting kitchen and dining facilities. the project re programmed space, improved ada and life safety issues and updated building systems. renovations consisted of upgrades to improve livability, comply with current building codes and improve energy performance.

the residence halls, constructed in 1965, are similar in size and utilization. paine hall is approximately 32,000 sq. ft. with 101 beds and zenger hall is approximately 31,000 sq. ft. with 88 beds. the renovated residence halls maximize the bed count, a large laundry room, study rooms, wi fi, and natural light. the renewal created open public spaces and offers a desirable housing choice for students with a contemporary, energy efficient, comfortable and safe living environment.

pathfinder is providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering and energy modeling for the total renovation of this 36,700 sq. ft. veterinary sciences building. meeting sucf’s deep energy retrofit directive energy goal for 50% eui reduction over existing conditions requires a high performance systems approach.

a hybrid ground source heat pump system (gshp) serves as the heating and cooling supply for the spaces throughout the building. a well field of 140 bore holes 450’ deep provides an electrified hvac approach using water to water gshp for generating both heating hot water and chilled water.

new heating, cooling, ventilation, air exchange, automatic temperature control and energy management systems are being provided. programs necessitate three air handling systems delivering dedicated outdoor air for veterinary science labs and boarding, surgical suites with energy recovery and classrooms, offices and common spaces with full energy recovery. a chilled beam induction system provides localized space conditioning and ventilation and minimizes fan energy.

the airflow systems for the animal boarding areas have requirements for high volumes of ventilation air that must be heated, cooled, dehumidified and humidified. the air handling systems use total energy recovery wheels to capture both sensible and latent heat. all chemical laboratory spaces and anatomy labs reduce energy consumption through demand controlled exhaust equipment and fume hoods. downdraft tables in anatomy and necropsy labs are provided. animal boarding areas have in cage ventilation. wet lab and biosafety cabinets feature combination sash fume hoods. labs are controlled with variable flow exhaust and supply valves for proper room pressurization and energy efficiency.

new plumbing systems provide domestic cold water, domestic hot water with recirculation, sanitary drainage and vent, storm water drainage piping systems, emergency eyewash/showers and compressed air and process vacuum systems.  plumbing fixtures are ultra low flow. a new cage wash and autoclave are provided for animal pen and material cleaning/sanitizing. energy for the domestic hot water is provided through the gshp system with supplemental heat for sanitizing high temperature hot water provided by the central steam system and summer steam boiler. a new wet pipe sprinkler system serves the entire area of work.  

a new power distribution system with energy metering at the building and individual panelboard level is being provided. an 800kw diesel standby generator offers emergency backup for life safety and hvac systems. updates to fire alarm, security, it and data systems are also provided. all led lighting is provided throughout with daylight and occupancy controls.  the animal holding areas have tunable led lighting to control light level and color spectrum.

pathfinder is providing mechanical, plumbing and fire protection engineering and energy modeling for the total renovation of this historic 90,000 sq. ft. building. marshall hall was built in 1933 and has not undergone significant renovation in over 40 years. this project is being designed with a deep energy savings retrofit target of 50% energy reduction relative to the building’s existing consumption and the goal of leed gold certification.

the project is decoupling from the district steam heat source. marshall hall will be equipped with high efficiency condensing boilers. additionally, the perimeter steam radiators, gravity unit ventilators, fan coil units and all steam and condensate piping will be replaced with a building wide hydronic heating system with occupancy based controls. all components are being sized for compatibility with a future geothermal sourced heating system.

this project will provide cooling to all spaces via a new heat pump loop and ventilation will be provided through demand controlled energy recovery ventilator units. occupancy sensors will tailor ventilation airflow rates to each space to maximize energy efficiency.

all lighting and power will be replaced in the building. new lighting will be energy efficient utilizing led technologies. historical light fixtures in the main lobby and spiral stairwell will be refurbished and relamped to be more energy efficient as well. a 100a 408/277v 3 phase 4 wire diesel emergency generator will be provided to serve the life safety loads in the building.

new telecommunication systems will be provided throughout the building. additionally, a new fully addressable fire alarm system will be provided. card access and security systems will also be replaced.

nuthatch hollow is a 75 acre environmental learning and research preserve at binghamton university.  the campus selected pathfinder to provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineering and energy modeling for a new 3,450 sq. ft. environmental classroom and research facility that strives for living building challenge and passive house (phius) certification.

pathfinder is providing mechanical and plumbing engineering and energy modeling for the renovation of sturges and fraser halls.  program development has been completed with the primary objective of enriching academic and student life experience at sturges quad with improved facilities.

sturges hall, a 43,250 sq. ft. historic building is a total of four stories and features a clock tower that rises above most surrounding buildings. the 26,500 sq. ft. fraser hall is connected to sturges hall via a first floor bridge known as fraser arch; fraser hall is also attached to wadsworth auditorium and linked to south hall.

both fraser and sturges halls are in need of major upgrades. much of the building is unventilated, the heating system is original to the building and there is no central cooling. new systems will include dedicated, decoupled ventilation and conditioning systems with energy recovery.  campus soil conditions are being evaluated to determine whether a ground coupled geothermal system is a viable heating/cooling system option. the conditioning systems being designed need to take into consideration not only the functional program requirements of space usage, but the aesthetics of the renovated areas as well as the historic nature of the buildings themselves. all visible system components will be selected to integrate seamlessly with the aesthetics of the spaces they serve. plumbing upgrades will include water efficient fixtures.

construction of this $30 million renovation will occur in four phases to minimize multiple department moves during construction.

pathfinder provided mechanical engineering and energy modeling for the design of a new 250 bed residence hall at the college at brockport that was delivered as a design/build project on behalf of dasny. the 65,000 sq. ft. four story building was designed with a central open lobby plan, resident advisor housing, multipurpose/community room, student amenities on the first floor and student residence rooms on the second, third and fourth floors.

the hvac design features a base valance (two pipe) heating and cooling system for the student and ra residences and a separate ventilation air system with air to air energy recovery. each resident room has individual temperature control. the hydronic systems operate with variable temperature and flowrate for optimal energy efficiency.