Project Description: IDB Generator Upgrade
Client: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Washington, DC
Facts:
- Size: Approximately 1,000,000 square feet
- Project Type: Infrastructure Upgrade
- Construction Cost: $1.3 Million
- Services Provided: Mechanical and Electrical Engineering services
- Architect: Fanelli McClain
- Structural Engineer: BEI
- Contractor: Donohoe
Features:
- New 1250 kW diesel generator on the roof of an existing thirteen story building in downtown Washington, DC
- Life safety generator replacement with increased capacity for additional loads
- Emergency lighting upgrade on thirteen floors of this fully occupied building
- Fire pump controller replacement with a combination fire pump/ ATS for connection to the new generator
- PDU replacement in the operational data center with minimal outages
- Fuel storage and fueling system design
IDB’s building contained a life safety system that was out dated and a generator that was approximately 30 years old. A new life safety/ standby generator was designed to replace the existing generator. The new generator capacity was increased substantially to accommodate the fire-pump and re-feed the existing life safety loads (lighting, elevators, and fire alarm) while also providing standby generator power to the building data center UPS and air conditioning loads. Williams Notaro also designed two PDUs to provide an A/B distribution system within the data center to replace the existing obsolete PDU. The emergency lighting in the corridors was not up to current code requirements. The lighting was re-circuited to correct personnel safety issues and code compliance deficiencies.
One of the more difficult challenges of this project was designing the 65,000 pound generator located on the roof of this high rise building in downtown Washington, DC. Williams Notaro closely coordinated with a structural engineer and generator manufacturers to accommodate this difficult location. The result was specifying a generator with a lighter engine block in a custom enclosure and distribution switchboard installed on a raised steel frame supported by the columns of the building below.
By performing extensive field verification during the design process, we were able to design a system that would maintain the existing generator until the new one was installed, while also limiting the downtime to the building and life safety systems.
