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San Diego State University

Charged with the need to completely renovate an 11-year-old residence hall when the presence of mold forced its temporary closure, San Diego State University chose University to provide design-build mechanical services for the project.

The building being renovated is Chapultepec Residence Hall, which is an 11-story, 115,875-square-foot dormitory originally constructed in 1992 and scheduled to reopen in September 2002. The reinforced concrete structure has been stripped virtually bare of finishes, systems and equipment. Two of its wings are currently shrink-wrapped while mold eradication is being completed, and University crews are working in the third, already clean wing.

We are replacing equipment in the central plant, including chiller and heating hot water boilers, associated pumps, and a cooling tower. Inside the building, we are replacing 373 fan coils and reworking the plumbing. We also are working with SDSU to design and update the building’s fire and life-safety systems, which entails replacing 132 fire smoke dampers.

Additionally, University is providing the manpower and resources needed to complete a full inventory of plumbing fixtures that SDSU had on hand, and we are providing new fixtures as required to maintain the project’s schedule.

Our crews have received special safety instruction for this project in order to ensure that everyone involved is aware of the correct procedures for identifying and reporting the possible presence of mold. Even though the space where we are working is free of mold, we are exercising caution to respect the barriers between this space and the remainder of the structure.

The SDSU Residence Hall Team:
Construction manager: Gafcon
Design-build mechanical contractor: University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors
Mechanical engineer: DEC Engineering
University project manager: Brian Roberson
Piping and plumbing foreman: Clyde Horner
Sheet metal foreman: Jaime Lopez

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