Robert E. Johnson Building Central Plant Improvements

MEP Engineering, Inc. served as the Prime Consultant on this upgrade to the existing 1,000-ton REJ central plant.  Across from the State Capital, the Robert E. Johnson State Office Building provides critical support of the Texas Legislature, particularly during the biennial legislative sessions.  The project included replacement of the existing cooling towers, condenser water pumps, controls, and all condenser water piping.  A two-phase design implementation allowed for installation of temporary chiller equipment for reliable cooling throughout.  MEP also engineered upgrades to the backup cooling and electrical power systems, adding a new 120-ton air-cooled chiller and 300kW natural gas generator with ATS.  While not originally included in the project scope, MEP recommend implementation of these creative solutions to address several existing operational issues.  Four new stainless-steel cooling tower cells (1,000 GPM each) were installed on an elevated structural steel platform, allowing for improved maintenance access and N+1 redundancy.  Five new CW pumps and two new CHW pumps were installed in a reduced footprint arrangement.  New DDC controls were installed to serve all new equipment.  Finally, the existing central plant roof was removed and replaced as part of a completely new roof level MEP equipment layout.

Project Title:  Robert E. Johnson (REJ) Central Plant Improvements

Project Location:  Austin, Texas

Owner:  The State of Texas

Project Size:  307,090 SF

Total Project Cost:  $4,170,000

MEP Role:  Prime Consultant

Services Provided:  Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing