Attachment 5 668-24-108 DESIGN NARRATIVE.pdf

WEST POINT ENGINEERS, LLC

100% Design Narrative

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Spokane, WA

Repair Sanitary Waste Piping Building 1

VA Project Number 668-24-108

June 20, 2025

MGVAMC, Spokane, Washington 100% Design Narrative VA Project No. 668-24-108 Repair Sanitary Waste Piping Bldg. 1 06-20-2025

Applicable Codes and Standards:

Codes:

• International Building Codes (IBC), 2024

• International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021

• International Fire Code (IFC), 2021

• International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021

• International Plumbing Code (IPC), 2021

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) – 1 Fire Code (2024 edition), 70 National

Electrical Code (2023 edition), 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (2025 edition), 101 Life Safety Code (2024 edition), and 241 Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations (2022 edition)

Standards:

• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Technical Information Library (TIL), Office of

Construction and Facilities Management – Directives, Design Manuals, Program Guides

(PGs), and Specifications, including but not limited to:

o Asbestos Abatement Design Manual, July 2011 o PG 18-1 Master Specifications, June 1, 2024 o PG 18-10 Fire Protection Design Manual, 9th Edition, November 1, 2023 o PG 18-10 Plumbing Design Manual, February 1, 2024 o PG 18-15, Volume C, A/E Submission Instructions for Minor and NRM Construction

Program, November 2008 o Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Directive 7715, amended September 5, 2023

(Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) and Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSM)) o VHA Directive 7712, dated May 19, 2022 (ILSM)

• Facility Guideline Institute (FGI) for Design and Construction of Hospitals, dated 2022.

• Applicable Federal Regulations:

o Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulations - Code of Federal Regulations

(CFR) Title 40, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) o Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) o Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) o Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air

Pollutants (NESHAP).

o Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Overview West Point Engineers (WPE), LLC, is to provide Architect/Engineer (A/E) professional services necessary for “Project 668-24-108, Repair Sanitary Waste Piping Building 1” at the Mann- Grandstaff VA Medical Center (MGVAMC), Spokane, Washington. There are repeated leaks from a failed vertical sanitary drain riser serving drinking fountains in the core of Building 1. The riser and chase are original to the building dating back to 1948. The purpose of this project is to remove and replace the riser and all associated piping and asbestos materials, bring the chase to a code-compliant state from basement through the ninth floor, and connect six new bottle fill stations.

Scope of Work This narrative supplements the drawings. Refer to the drawing set for the complete and detailed scope of work.

Specified scope outlined in the A/E statement of work includes:

1. Repair and replace the vertical piping riser that serves the Building 1 drinking fountain drains.

2. Design access to the multi-story piping chase through the existing access panels, removal of existing fixtures, and penetration of walls where new fixtures are to be mounted.

3. Engage an AHERA licensed sub-consultant to perform testing and provide a regulated

Building Materials Survey Report.

4. Remove Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) piping and fitting wrap insulation that interferes with demolishing piping and remediate friable ACM from accessible surfaces.

5. Replace soil piping, fittings, and branches to fixtures.

6. Replace pipe necessary to provide service to new ADA/ABAAS compliant, semi-recessed, refrigerated bottle fill stations, including new piping, connections, and components. See drawings for more details.

7. Provide new electrical circuits needed to power new refrigerated water cooler fixtures.

8. Repair wall finishes as necessary to restore existing wall surfaces.

9. No longer included in scope: Design a deduct alternative to change the refrigerated water coolers that require power connection to non-refrigerated surface mount bottle fill stations that use battery power to operate. The VA eliminated this scope item due to the selected option, including safe and adequate power connections.

WPE determined that the implied scope to accomplish the specified work above will include:

10. Set-up hard wall ICRA level three containment. See drawings for more detail (GC100).

11. Perform select demolition to gain access to the chase’s interior.

12. Design the VA’s selected and approved solution to extend the electrical power from the 9th floor to the self-contained, filtered, and refrigerated water coolers.

13. Design an applied corridor wall to house the fully recessed bottle fill stations to limit repair of wall finishes.

14. Design a deduct alternative for further work to remove the wall section including stairwell to fire closet door frames and repair and reconstruct the wall section and door frames.

Design Analysis and Discipline Highlights The complete details are captured in the drawings which consist of general (GI, GC, and HA series), including life safety plans, ICRA plans, phasing, and asbestos abatement. AE series drawing sheets provide architectural floor by floor plans, elevations, and wall and bottle fill station details. PD and PP series drawing sheets provide plumbing demo plans, floor plans, elevation details, plumbing schedules, and stack 25 riser diagram. The E-100 drawing sheet provides the electrical floor plans and details. The discipline drawing sheets are tailored to the project and consistent with PG 18-15.

This design submittal also includes the specifications. The specifications complement and expand upon drawing details by providing comprehensive written information on materials, quality standards, performance criteria, and technical requirements essential for successful project execution. They serve as a critical bridge between conceptual design and practical implementation, ensuring clarity, consistency, and adherence to project goals throughout the design process. Similarly, the enclosed cutsheets are provided for reference and basis of design purposes only. They are not to be interpreted as a purchase commitment or indication of manufacturer preference. Equivalent products meeting or exceeding the specified performance criteria may be considered.

Centralized Water Cooling Systems vs. Self-Contained Electric Water Coolers.

WPE clarified, after further investigation, that the VA Plumbing Manual specifies self-contained bottle fill stations over centralized water cooling systems. In Section 3.3, Electric Water Coolers, of this design manual, the VA specifies: “Centralized drinking water cooling systems are not allowed for new construction or major renovation projects. Replace the centralized drinking water fountains with self-contained electric water coolers whenever the opportunity exists.”

In conclusion, this section asserts that a centralized loop is not a desired design path.

Plumbing and Electrical for Chilled Water.

WPE investigated a concern about the available power to run chilled water at each location.

Initially, the team proposed a design option that to install a recirculating loop to provide cold water to each of the new bottle-fill stations would be in the 9th floor mechanical room where both power (panel “9N1”) and domestic water were accessible. Under this option, the design was to account for a filter system, refrigeration unit, and chilled water storage tank to accommodate the six (6) new bottle fill stations. However, this was not the best option.

WPE, after further analysis, concluded that the best, most cost effective option, selected and approved by the VA includes extending power from the 9th floor (panel “9N1”) to self-contained bottle fill station, filter, and refrigeration unit. Under this solution, the VA agreed that FGI guidelines, which specifies that refrigerated water units in patient rooms must be powered by sources on the same floor, does not apply to shared corridors; as a result, the VA agrees that the FGI guidelines applies only to patient rooms. Otherwise for the electrical discipline, the bottle-fill stations will be serviced with new conduits extended from the 9th floor existing panel.

See the drawing sheets for the complete scope of work.

Life Safety, ICRA, and Abatement.

WPE's design approach includes the isolation of the entire stairwell from start to finish during construction to minimize costs and impacts to patient care and hospital operations. The drawings detail this approach. Each chase wall will be opened on each floor, and abatement will take place. The center staircase will be closed from the 1st floor up to the 7th floor. On the 7th floor, the stairwell will be split to isolate the construction site while providing access for VA building service personnel to the 9th floor machine room for the life of this project. The VIH / Safety determined that the ICRA HEPA filter Air Movers will be best employed on the basement through the window of breakroom A002. For the first floor, the exhaust will be routed from the hallway through the wall into the stairwell and up through the second floor mid-floor stairwell window. For the work on the second floor and above, a HEPA Air Scrubber will be installed at the mid-floor stairwell windows and will exhaust out of the building. The entrance door will receive a hard wall entrance with walk-off mats. A digital negative pressure monitor will be installed at this location. The stair will be closed during construction as described in the drawings.

The demolition will consist of removing a clay tile wall section roughly 24” wide along the face of the existing plumbing chase. After asbestos remediation from the chase, new plumbing will be installed as needed, and the chase will be brought up to code. A new casework wall housing the new bottle fill stations will be installed. Based upon the design option selected, the new work will consist of all new waste, vent, with water supply to each of the new fill stations, housed in a 3” applied laminated wall section with high-impact plastic corner guards. ELKAY-style bottle fill stations will provide the basis of design as outlined in the plumbing schedule on Drawing Sheet PP400 and cutsheets. The corridor finishes along the chase area will be repaired and painted in accordance with the drawings as chosen by the VA Interior Designer (see details on drawing sheet AE400 and AE401).

1st Floor ICRA Justification.

The VA selected the second floor stairwell window for the first floor exhaust routing among two other options, the basement breakroom A002 window or into the first floor interior. The distance through the ground floor was greater than the second floor. Interior routing seemed to be expensive and risky with multiple daily monitoring and proper functioning of the system. For the interior routing, though not chosen, the VA provided detailed revised guidance directly from a current ICRA Permit that seems to offer a solution:

Appendix A: Alternative To Outdoor Exhaust Requirements This Appendix provides an equivalent ICRA control measure to requirements detailed in this VHA ICRA template (Table 5 Level III, item 5) that would allow interior construction space exhaust.

Interior Construction Space Exhaust:

If the facility is not able to exhaust to the building exterior, the Healthcare Environment and Facilities program office has identified an alternate industry-recognized standard interior exhaust procedure that is accepted as providing an equivalent level of infection prevention and control (IPC), and safety.

The alternate interior exhaust procedure is implemented by completing the following:

a. If exhaust is directed indoors, then the system must be HEPA filtered. Prior to start of work, including assembly of the ICRA barriers, initial baseline air sampling measurements for particulate levels must be taken in the planned area of discharge. Once containment is erected and completed, HEPA filtration must then be verified by particulate measurement, using a particle counter with multi-channel capabilities to measure down to 0.3 microns, to confirm that the discharge of the HEPA unit does not exceed the baseline particulate count of the area to which the exhaust is directed. Verification must continue at least three times per day (once every 8 hours), 7 days per week, during the use of the negative air machine and HEPA filter.

Any exceedance must trigger a work stoppage and an immediate response and resolution. All particulate measurements, including the baseline measurement, must be documented and retrievable.

b. To accommodate the sampling, the negative air pressure machine must be fitted with a 2 ft section of rigid ductwork at the discharge. The sample port for monitoring must be in the rigid ductwork section.

c. Vapor generating processes must be assessed and appropriate filtration must be installed to mitigate transmission to the facility.

d. Engineering must do a complete flow and pressure analysis and document the area to which the air is being discharged to ensure the flow and pressure relationships in that area are not being adversely impacted by the additional flow. Ideally, this is done as part of the construction package to ensure the design is implementable and no additional HVAC changes are required to accommodate the exhaust from the negative air equipment.

e. Install device on exterior of work containment to continually monitor negative pressurization.

To ensure proper pressure is continuously maintained, the device(s) shall have a visual pressure indicator, data collection and alarm.

f. Exhaust must be directed to Low Risk areas as defined in Table 3 in this VHA ICRA template.

Ideally this discharge must be located so as not to impinge on high traffic areas or create a nuisance with noise or excessive airflow. Exhaust into shared or recirculating HVAC systems, or other shared exhaust systems (e.g., bathroom exhaust) is not acceptable.

Wall and Door Repairs/Replacement Concern.

Existing conditions, as documented in the drawings, reveal potential concerns:

• Door frames separated from walls

• Wall cracking

• Compromised fire-rated walls and fire closet and stairwell door frames These deficiencies may jeopardize the building's fire safety. The planned work may further weaken these critical components and create additional structural concerns.

To ensure occupant safety and code compliance, WPE recommends the following actions, as detailed in drawing AE402 Existing Wall Details (Add Alternative Only):

1. Remove wall sections, including doors, from door frame to door frame

2. Reconstruct walls as specified and install new fire-rated door frames and doors

3. Complete these repairs in conjunction with proceeding with the bottle fill station project scope WPE conducted further analysis to communicate potential concerns about proceeding with the planned scope of work without addressing these deficiencies; these actions may be important to maintaining the VA facility's wall structural integrity and fire protection standards. WPE included a disclaimer to this effect: During on-site field investigation West Point Engineers (WPE) observed potential deficiencies in the wall sections and door frames within the project area. The VA has been notified by WPE of these existing conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs has elected to proceed with the contracted scope of work, including wall penetrations for asbestos abatement necessary for the replacement and installation of the new sanitary pipe and bottle fill stations, without comprehensive remediation of identified deficiencies. Contractor shall notify the VA COR if conditions are unsuitable for construction at the pre-construction meeting required by the VA TIL specifications.

Asbestos and Lead Sampling Results / Abatement Refer to Hazardous Materials Drawing Sheet HA100 for detailed design and Fulcrum Environmental Consulting, Inc, report dated December 10, 2024, for sampling analysis and results. On Thursday, November 14, 2024, Fulcrum, a certified AHERA company, completed a limited asbestos and lead inspection and sampling in the Building 1 project area from the basement and including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th floors. Fulcrum took 19 total samples, including 12 suspected ACM samples and 7 suspected LBP samples. In summary, 5 of 12 samples contained asbestos and 3 of 7 paint chip samples contained lead above the concentration limit/exposure risk. Samples collected from the white wrap over white powdery insulation on JETs in the basement and second floor fire sprinkler closet were identified with 40% Chrysotile and 10% Amosite asbestos. Samples collected from white fibrous wrap and white sealant over multiple paper insulation layers on pipe runs in the basement and seventh floor hallway were identified with 25% Chrysotile asbestos. The sample collected from white finished plaster ceilings on wire mesh from the first floor hallway was identified with 2% Chrysotile asbestos. For the lead paint chip samples, laboratory analysis identified detectable concentrations of lead in the white over red paint on metal below the work exposure of 600 mg/kg. Laboratory analysis identified white paint on plaster walls in the basement, white paint on plaster in the second floor, and the brown paint over blue pain on metal as above the laboratory method of detection limit and above the general guideline for worker exposure risk of 600 mg/kg.

All suspect building materials not sampled prior to demolition are assumed to be asbestos containing materials. Those materials to be impacted by project work should be halted until the material(s) is sampled to confirm asbestos absence or presence. Contractors impacting any lead containing material should conduct activities in compliance with written Lead Compliance Plan and applicable regulatory standards. Abatement will be required on all floors as detailed in HA100 and specifications.

Phasing Refer to Phasing Drawing Sheet GC101 for details and clarification items. As the drawing sheet outlines, the phasing plan is estimated to be 195 days based upon VA-dependent timelines for contractor submittals and approvals to receive notice to proceed for construction. Specification 01 35 26-31 indicates a 90-day prior to assignment for all contract employees to complete TB screening. However, the VA decided that there is no reason to extend from 30 days to 120 days to allow time for the screening. Instead, the contractor will provide an official letter from screening and Phase 1 will be 30 days. The VA also decided to condense a 225-day proposed schedule to 195 days anticipating contractor simultaneous completion of both new piping installation and electrical installation.

A/E Schedule The total design duration is 325 calendar days which accounts for the previous submittals and reviews and future design submittals with VA review steps at 100% construction documents.

WPE delivered the 10%, 35%, 65%, 95%, and 100%, five (5) days, 30 days, two (2) days, 44 days, and one (1) day early, respectively. Combined with the VA completing the 10% review and approval period 17 days early, the 35% review and approval period two (2) days early, the 65% review and approval period 36 days delayed, and the 95% review and approval period 16 days early, the project is 80 days ahead of schedule. The project design was complete on June 20, 2025, in comparison to the NTP baseline design contract period ending on September 18, 2025.

Budget/Cost Estimate The VA estimated the construction cost at $648,000.

A third party completed a detailed estimate included in the design. A summary of the bid packages from the estimate are below:

1. Base Bid. Extend electrical from the 9th floor to each bottle fill station and install standalone filtered and chilled bottle fill stations in newly applied walls. No BMS tie-in is required. Bid package cost is $603,879. The ~$25K increase from the previous 95% estimate ($579,233) was due to the change in market conditions and feedback received from CPE.

2. Add Alternative. Remove, repair, and replace two doors, frames, and wall section, including limited partitions at each floor. Cost is $215,000. Total Base Bid Plus Add Alternative is $818,879.

3. Cost Breakouts (Includes List Prices, Mark-ups).

a. Six self-contained, electric, refrigerated, filtered, bottle fill stations (Basis of design -

ELKAY LZWSM8K): $59,800 (website list price $4,273 each).

b. Six mechanical, tap water, non-filtered, non-refrigerated bottle fill stations (Basis of design - ELKAY EMASM): $29,900 (website list price $1,386 each).

4. Deduct Alternative. Remove electrical work (~$12K), install mechanical only fill stations (~$30K), and remove markups (~$3K). Save $12K + ($60K - $30K) + $3K = ~$45K ($44,850). WPE do not recommend this alternative option since the base bid is within the construction budget.

Bottle Fill Station Comparisons (Cutsheets Attached)

END OF DESIGN NARRATIVE