Eastside Human Services Building

IMEG provided MEP and fire protection design for the Denver Department of Human Services’ new Eastside Building. 

The 54,000-sf, two-story office building was designed for LEED Gold and employs high-performance mechanical and electrical systems and a high-performance building envelope. It is also designed to be net-zero ready, with additional building energy requirements to be offset through an on-site photovoltaic system provided by a third party. 

 The mechanical system used an innovative paring of a variable refrigerant volume (VRV) system for perimeter heating and cooling, with an under-floor air distribution (UFAD) system for building ventilation and internal space conditioning. The UFAD system tempers its nearly neutral air using an indirect/direct evaporative media system during cooling conditions, along with an energy recovery system during heating conditions. This hybrid mechanical system has an energy modeled savings of 40% beyond ASHRAE 90.1-2004, even with a proposed 12% increase in window area over the project baseline. The plumbing system utilizes water-conserving fixtures in addition to a high-efficiency domestic hot water heating and recirculation system. 

This project optimized cost control and schedule – while still maintaining quality work – starting with a highly integrated design process to ensure shared understanding of the project. IMEG performed lifecycle cost analysis as part of the system evaluation to help the client determine the most cost-effective options. Engineers also met with the contractors to ensure their sub-contractors were on schedule and installing in accordance with the construction documents. IMEG also specified and observed mock-up work on the mechanical system to clarify contractor means and methods. This ensured the design intent was being met prior to actual completion.