As members of an A/E team, IMEG designed infrastructure upgrades and renovations to both the main and annex buildings at the University’s Hunters Point animal facility (HPT). Much of the scope centered around the replacement of the main washing and sterilization equipment for the facility, life expectancy/need, and phasing to allow the facility to remain operational throughout the planned upgrades and renovations.

There is an existing steam driven autoclave, rack washer, and tunnel washer that are being replaced under this project’s scope. The University is adding a second autoclave and an electrically-driven cage washer. The intent of the cage washer being electric was to allow installation and use while the main steam systems are being upgraded to accommodate the steam-driven equipment. The facility is also switching from open cages to Internally Ventilated Cages (IVC) requiring replacement of existing dated electrical panels, additional of new panels, and new circuiting to accommodate the added electrical loads and connections.

Significant MEP upgrades include expanding the existing medium pressure steam system from four to 10 boilers, upgrading the existing boiler-feed water equipment, demolition of the existing low pressure steam system, replacing water heaters, water softeners, compressed air systems, the emergency generator, lighting and lighting control systems. The emergency generator has sufficient capacity to back up the entire site for a duration of 24 hours. The automatic transfer switch was also replaced under a separate fast track project due to existing equipment failure.

As alternate bids to provide additional resiliency, manual transfer switches were added to back-up the entire site power service and to support the freezer farm. These allow the University to connect a temporary generator if necessary.

The existing electrical service is 208V, but some of the primary sterilization and wash equipment was only available in 480V, necessitating the need for a 208V-480V step-up transformer.

IMEG has been working with UCSF at the HPT Animal Facility in both prime and sub-consultant capacities providing studies and infrastructure upgrades since 2017. These successfully completed projects include:

  • Rack Infrastructure Study: Study focused on the MEP upgrades necessary to accommodate switching from open to IVC racks
  • Electrical Upgrades: Project focused on the upgrading and expansion of electrical infrastructure to accommodate the IVC racks (project placed on hold at 95% CD)
  • Freezer Farm Study: Study focused on converting room 145 to an additional freezer farm space
  • ATS/Main Switch Replacement: Project was split from the main renovation project to allow fast-tracking of this scope due to existing equipment failure
  • Lab 106 Exhaust: Project was also split from the main renovation project to accommodate fast-tracking of this scope