The facility was under construction from 2020-2024, under supervision by the US Army Corp of Engineers and DoD, with the participation of private engineering firms and contractors. GES Tech Group (GES) was retained by the principle mechanical contractor to provide piping system support design and seismic bracing plus general structural, seismic, foundation and anchorage details for all air handling and HVAC equipment. A Request for Information (RFI) submitted by GES’s client addressed a key element of the HVAC system involving a large stack of piping embedded in a 50 foot deep gravel filled concrete enclosure. GES’s client provided the alternate design approach that addressed critical sequence of construction and buildability issues and GES was assigned the task of designing the detailed components.
GES considered back fill pressure, system operating parameters, and thermal expansion and contraction constraints. Non-linear finite element analysis modeling was applied during the design process. A selection of exhibits provided as part of the RFI are presented below.
After approval by the Corp and DoD, the design details recommended by GES were fabricated by the contractor, transported to the site, and assembled. The entire 50 foot tall assembly was then back filled with 1 inch minus gravel.
