11/17/2021
Fully constructed in 2020, the new Zone 3 police precinct is a striking building located at 2353 Metropolitan Parkway. The new structure is a 2-story facility which houses office spaces, meeting rooms, interrogation rooms, a secure parking lot, and additional public amenities. In addition, this structure contains a photovoltaic system, which provides additional greed energy to the facility making it environmentally friendly as well.
As with most projects requisitioned by the government, this project required commissioning to be performed to ensure proper installation and programming of many of the electronical systems present within the building. As such, EMCx was brought on board with Smart Building Systems, Inc. during the construction phase of the project to achieve these goals. EMCx reviewed the installation instructions, engineering documents, and currently installed systems involving the HVAC system for errors or issues. During this process, it was found that the energy recovery unit was improperly modeled in attachment to the roof top unit, resulting in a large waste of energy for the system. A meeting was held with the relevant parties to discuss actions that could be taken to improve the system. This resulted in a change to the system installation and design.
In addition to the HVAC system, EMCx was also tasked with commissioning a PV system located in the facility. This system consisted of a series of solar arrays located on the roof that must adhere to a strict protocol when commissioned. This ensures that they do not harm or damage the building, as well as enact their intended purpose. Through the commissioning of these systems, it was found that there were no issues in their installation or normal operation; however, it was found that the shunt trip did not appear to be installed. If this had not been caught, it would have allowed the PV system to back feed the generator. If allowed to operate as installed, over time this back feeding of the generator would have resulted in the eventual destruction and replacement of this unit, causing both a power failure for the building and the necessity to replace the generator.
In all, without commissioning, this building would not operate as it does today. Not only would there be mechanical issues, but there would also be controls and electrical issues as well. This would result in a loss of energy and money for the city. With commissioning, these issues have been reduced substantially for a fraction of this cost that it would require to repair and correct them. In conclusion, it was a pleasure working on this project and we look forward to working with the City of Atlanta again in the future.