Housing

JLRD provided full Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection engineering programming and design for this new apartment complex on FAU's Main Campus. The complex consists of two (2) multi-story (7 and 8 floors respectively) buildings, along with a central energy plant, providing a total of 1200 beds for resident students. Each suite style living unit is equipped with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and common living space, in addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

The complex was designed for the full living experience including fitness centers, a pool and volleyball area, outdoor gathering space, study and conference rooms, along with a common laundry and convenience store. The project design focused on energy conservation and sustainability, and the design has received a LEED Gold rating from the USGBC. The project schedule was very aggressive and the buildings were delivered within budget, and two (2) months ahead of the planned completion date.

As part of the energy modeling for sustainability, JLRD advocated for the use of a water cooled chilled water system that used condenser water for reheat. Prior to this project, air cooled chillers were used for housing projects; now water cooled plants modeled after the Innovation Village design are part of the housing design criteria.

Of particular interest is the HVAC system approach for this project is the same as that used to obtain LEED Gold Certification for a University apartment project designed 8 years later. This demonstrates how JLRD’s sustainable, cost-conscious design approach actually preceded the current rating systems.

1, 2, and 3 bedroom units were designed with state-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure to support high speed communications to the local utility. To support post storm events, provisions for a portable generator were made for critical and life safety systems. Photovoltaic array was designed atop the business / management office roof to offset electrical power consumption by utilizing the grid-connected array utilizing the sun to make electricity. JLRD worked closely with the local utilities and the FEC rail system to rework existing electrical services which were impacted by the construction of this project.

Each of the units in the complex is served by a high efficiency HVAC DX system for heating and cooling. The buildings are fully sprinklered with a wet-pipe system designed in accordance with NFPA-13R. In consideration of water conservation, low flow energy conserving plumbing fixtures are employed, as well as two cisterns to capture rainwater for irrigation for the landscaping and green spaces.