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) report prepared by Bureau Veritas for the City of Palo Alto's Art Center, a municipal art facility located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto, California. The assessment, completed on March 22, 2023, following an on-site inspection on March 6, 2023, evaluates the facility's overall condition and identifies all gas-fired equipment requiring conversion to electric alternatives as part of the city's broader electrification initiative. The Art Center is a single-story structure with one below-grade basement level containing 26,441 square feet of space, built in 1971 and renovated in 2012, situated on approximately 4.0 acres with 60 parking spaces. The facility currently utilizes a variable refrigerant (VRV) heat pump system for heating and cooling, copper wiring electrical infrastructure, copper supply plumbing with cast-iron waste distribution, and a fire alarm system with sprinkler protection throughout. The assessment includes a comprehensive electrification analysis that identifies the logical replacement sequence for gas-fired equipment based on remaining useful life and provides cost estimates and timing for conversion to electric alternatives aligned with the city's goals of achieving a 40 percent reduction in natural gas usage by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2040.
The report emphasizes that successful electrification at the Art Center requires increasing electrical service capacity to 600 amps to accommodate the expanded electrical demand from converted equipment, necessitating potential infrastructure upgrades, rewiring, and comprehensive evaluation by an electrical engineer and the utility company. The assessment notes that while electrification conversions may not generate immediate cost savings due to initial investment and solar panel installation costs, they are expected to produce significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The FCA indicates no additional studies are recommended at this time and that the facility's current Facility Condition Index suggests the building is in serviceable condition following its 2012 renovation, with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems updated to modern standards. The report provides baseline data and capital improvement planning information that will inform detailed design proposals submitted by qualified engineering firms responding to the City of Palo Alto's related RFP for comprehensive electrification design and construction administration services across five pilot facilities.
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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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