SVA Engineering Project - GPL Laboratories in Frederick, Maryland

Spears/Votta & Associates, Inc. provided mechanical/electrical/plumbing (M/E/P) engineering services for construction of a materials and geotechnical testing laboratory located in a single story shell building in Frederick, Maryland. The facility included seven (7) individual laboratory spaces, each performing a different type of testing process including extraction, digestion, metals, volatile organics; gas chromatographs and wet chemistry. Support facilities included samples receiving and management with a walk-in cooler for sample storage; gas cylinder storage; glassware cleaning; report preparation, offices, break room with kitchenette, offices and conference rooms.

Each of the laboratories was provided with separate rooftop constant volume HVAC unit which provides HVAC and makeup air for various laboratory fume hood and exhaust systems. Several additional rooftop HVAC units provide standard office HVAC for the offices and support spaces.

Plumbing systems included hot and cold domestic water, deionized water, standard and acid resistant waste. Laboratory gas piping systems included standard and high purity helium, nitrogen and argon-methane (P5). Central compressed air and laboratory vacuum piping systems with central lab air compressor and vacuum producers were also included. Laboratory spaces include fume hoods anlong with specialty laboratory exhaust systems for various pieces of equipment. Adjustable arm hoods which can have the exhaust inlet adjusted to occur directly above specific laboratory processes were provided in a number of the laboratories to accommodate benchtop processes. The facility is fully sprinklered.

Electric Service to the facility was provided at 480/277 volts from Allegheny Power. Dry type transformers were provided for both 120/208 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire and 240 volt, 3 phase, delta services. Individual branch circuit panels were provided in each laboratory space to serve loads within the lab. Laboratory branch circuits and computer network wiring were run in Wiremold 6000 raceways to facilitate relocating and adding of equipment connections. All laboratory equipment is networked to central servers to facilitate data collection and reporting. Lighting consisted of parabolic louver troffers for office and support areas and lens troffers for the laboratory spaces. A fire alarm system was provided throughout including full smoke detection in each laboratory space, sprinkler system monitoring, duct smoke detectors on HVAC units and ADA compliant audio-visual indicating devices.