Palo_Alto_Art_Center__Excerpt_from_FCA.pdf

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Attached to
Electrification of City Facilities
Solicitation number
PE-24001
Issued by
Santa Clara County, California

About this file

This is a Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) excerpt prepared by Bureau Veritas for the City of Palo Alto's Palo Alto Art Center, located at 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, California. The assessment was conducted on March 6, 2023, and completed on March 22, 2023, by Project Manager Murdo Nicolson of the City's Public Works Department. The 26,441 square-foot, single-story Art Center building constructed in 1971 and renovated in 2012 is the subject of this electrification analysis, which investigates replacing all fossil fuel-consuming equipment with electric alternatives. The assessment identifies gas-fired equipment currently in use and provides a cost and timing estimate for electrification based on the expected remaining useful life of existing equipment, establishing a logical replacement sequence that aligns with the City's sustainability goals of achieving an 80 percent reduction in natural gas usage by 2040 and a 40 percent reduction by 2030.

The electrification analysis indicates that converting gas-fired equipment to electrical usage will require an increase in electrical demand and necessitate upgrading the building's electrical infrastructure to support 600 amps of service capacity at the Art Center. The assessment notes that replacement of larger equipment may require complete system redesign, including refrigerant piping installation and potential rewiring based on the age and condition of existing wiring, with costs for an electrical engineering study included in the evaluation. The report emphasizes that any electrical system changes must be evaluated by an Electrical Engineer and the utility company to ensure compliance with electrical codes and that the facility infrastructure and public electrical service can meet new load requirements. This FCA serves as foundational support documentation for the City of Palo Alto's larger electrification initiative, which includes five pilot buildings with potential expansion to 18 total facilities across multiple phases.

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FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT (FCA) - EXCERPT

Palo Alto Art Center

The following pages are excerpts from the City's Facility Condition Assessment Report and include only sections relevant to the electrification scope for this project.

Art Center 1313 Newell Road Palo Alto, California 94303

FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT

prepared for

City of Palo Alto 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301 Murdo Nicolson

PREPARED BY:

Bureau Veritas 10461 Mill Run Circle, Suite 1100 Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 800.733.0660 www.us.bureauveritas.com

BV CONTACT:

Anas Sadkhi Program Manager

800.733.0660 x7296568 Anas.Sadkhi@bureauveritas.com

BV PROJECT #:

150140.22R000-004.354

DATE OF REPORT:

March 22, 2023

ON SITE DATE:

March 6, 2023

Bureau Veritas

10461 Mill Run Circle, Suite 1100 | Owings Mills, MD 21117 | www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660 http://www.us.bureauveritascom/ http://www.emgcorp.com/

ART CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-004.354

www.us.bureauveritas.com | p 800.733.0660

1 . Ex ec u t i v e S um m a ry

Property Overview and Assessment Details

General Information

Property Type Art Center

Main Address 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303

Site Developed 1971

Renovated 2012

Site Area 4.0 acres (estimated)

Parking Spaces 60 total spaces all in open lots; two of which are accessible

Building Area 26,441 SF

Number of Stories 1 above grade with 1 below-grade basement levels

Outside Occupants/Leased Spaces None

Date(s) of Visit March 6, 2023

Management Point of Contact Mr. Murdo Nicolson Jr., Project Manager, Public Works

650.617.3154

Murdo.Nicolson@cityofpaloalto.org

On-site Point of Contact (POC) James Brown

Assessment and Report Prepared By Aren Hofland

Reviewed By Daniel White

Technical Report Reviewer for

Anas Sadkhi

Program Manager

Anas.Sadkhi@bureauveritas.com

800.733.0660 x7296568

ART CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-004.354

Signif icant/Systemic Findings and Deficiencies

Historical Summary

The Art Center was constructed in 1971. A major renovation occurred in 2012. Mechanical systems, electrical systems, and interior finishes were updated at that time.

Architectural

The building is wood framed with brick veneer. The roof is crossed hip with cedar shake shingles. The interiors are updated regularly in the gallery and as needed in the remainder of the building.

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire (MEPF)

Heating and cooling are supplied by a variable refrigerant (VRV) heat pump system. Air circulation is assisted by booster fans and exhaust fans. The electrical system has copper wiring and switches. Plumbing distribution is copper supply with cast-iron waste. A fire alarm system communicates with various sensors, strobes, and alarms throughout the building. Fire sprinklers are located throughout the building. All distribution appears to have been updated in 2012, based on equipment data plates.

Site

The Art Center has asphalt parking lots. A sculpture garden is located in a courtyard area. Drip irrigation supplies moderate landscaping around the building exterior.

Recommended Additional Studies

No additional studies recommended at this time.

Facility Condition Index (FCI)

One of the major goals of the FCA is to calculate each building’s Facility Condition Index (FCI), which provides a theoretical objective indication of a building’s overall condition. By definition, the FCI is defined as the ratio of the cost of current needs divided by current replacement value (CRV) of the facility. The chart below presents the industry standard ranges and cut-off points.

FCI Ranges and Description

0 – 5% In new or well-maintained condition, with little or no visual evidence of wear or deficiencies.

5 – 10% Subjected to wear but is still in a serviceable and functioning condition.

10 – 30% Subjected to hard or long-term wear. Nearing the end of its useful or serviceable life.

30% and above Has reached the end of its useful or serviceable life. Renewal is now necessary.

The deficiencies and lifecycle needs identified in this assessment provide the basis for a portfolio-wide capital improvement funding strategy. In addition to the current FCI, extended FCI’s (EFCI) have been developed to provide owners the intelligence needed to plan and budget for the “keep-up costs” for their facilities. As such the 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year FCI’s are calculated by dividing the anticipated needs of those respective time periods by current replacement value. As a final point, the FCI’s ultimately provide more value when used to relatively compare facilities across a portfolio instead of being over-analyzed and scrutinized as stand-alone values.

ART CENTER BUREAU VERITAS PROJECT: 150140.22R000-004.354

3 . E l e c t r i f i c a t i o n

This Electrification analysis investigates replacing all fossil fuel consuming equipment within the buildings with electric alternatives. These improvements are identified as Energy and Sustainability replacements instead of traditional “like and in kind” replacements that are generally included in a FCA report. These replacements may not have an overall cost savings due the initial investment and the cost of solar panels to generate electricity. There is expected to be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of these improvements.

The tables below lists all of the gas-fired equipment currently in use at the Art Center building.

A cost and timing estimate for the “Electrification” of fossil fuel consuming system has been prepared based on the expected remaining useful life (RUL) of the gas-fired equipment. This initial table identifies when the equipment is expected to be replaced. This provides a logical sequence for replacement at this facility. When the replacement is considered on a city-wide basis there may need to be changes to the schedule shown in this report.

Part of this contract includes access to an online database that can be used to generate various scenarios for replacement toward the City’s goal of an 80 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2030. A 40 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2030 and a 80 percent reduction in current natural gas usage by 2040 can also be generated using the software.

In order to convert the gas-fired equipment to electrical usage, an increase in electrical demand at the building will occur. This will require ensuring that the electrical service equipment is of adequate size to manage the increased load.

There are several things to consider before replacing the gas-fired equipment with electrical equipment.

1. Updating your present infrastructure will be required for the replacement of larger equipment. Depending on the type of equipment proposed (e.g. gas-fired water heater to heat pump water heater or wall-mounted heater to heat pump), a complete system re-design may be required to accommodate refrigerant piping. Generally, replacement of a single gas-fired water heater can be accomplished with the existing electrical system, as long as 240 volt service is present in the building. Updating your present electrical wiring may be required, based on the age and condition of your wiring.

2. For the purposes of this report and capital planning estimate we have assumed an increase in the service to be required for the new electrical equipment. In addition, the new equipment will require separate wiring from the new electrical panels or service noted below to the equipment.

a. 600 amps for Art Center

3. Any changes made to your electrical system should be evaluated by an Electrical Engineer and the Utility Company to ensure that the facility electrical system and the public electrical service to the property will meet the new load requirements and for compliance with all electrical codes. A cost for that study has been included in this evaluation.

4. The scope of this assessment is visual only and the wire size, type, age and condition are concealed and were not reviewed. If your wiring is at the end of its useful life replacement of all or part may be required. Things to consider beside the cost of a new electrical system, is the cost of shutdown of your present electrical system during the changeover and remodeling.

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