Overview

Founded in 1966, the 700,000 square foot Golden West College needed an upgrade for its aging facilities. The college's maintenance infrastructure had reached the end of its lifespan, and was failing with greater frequency.

As prime contractor for this large-scale retrocommissioning, we upgraded the HVAC, electrical, lighting, plumbing, and ceiling infrastructure of 18 buildings on the Golden West campus. The new plumbing infrastructure included sewer, storm drain, make-up water, and natural gas lines. We also installed a new campus-wide energy management system and central utility plant.

Our Approach

It was important for Golden West to preserve whatever elements of the existing system that were still in good working order. Our team devised a plan to integrate those pieces with the new and modern upgrades. We chose a centralized energy management and controls system that would seamlessly combine the old mechanical elements with the new ones into an efficient, unified system.

As a public institution serving approximately 15,000 students, Golden West wanted to minimize the construction impact on students. To achieve this, we divided the project into smaller pieces and renovated only two to three buildings at a time. Students who had classes scheduled in buildings under renovation were moved to nearby classrooms that were equally convenient and comfortable. In addition, we excavated the 6,400 linear feet of trenching during the summer when fewer students were on campus.

Golden West College generated over $500,000 in energy rebates from local utility provider.

Result

Due to the seamless integration of old and new system components, Golden West College generated over $500,000 in energy rebates from local utility provider, Southern California Edison. The college also saves thousands of dollars each month in electricity costs. In addition, the 26,000 linear foot underground distribution loop — one of the more potentially disruptive aspects of the project — was carried out in 3 months and completed ahead of schedule.