October-November e-Newsletter 2010

Spirit of Collaboration – Blue Mountain Electric

Blue Mountain Electric is a business rooted in family and patriotic traditions. Founded in 2005 by military veteran Don Howat and his son Nathan Howat, Blue Mountain Electric has completed over 300 federal projects in five short years.

They are known for their strict adherence to budgets and deadlines; however, their dedication to service reaches far beyond contractual obligation. As a partner in both local and naval communities, Blue Mountain Electric participates in programs for veterans, parks, and professional apprenticeships. The apprenticeship program, which is provided in coordination with the Independent Electrical Contractors of Washington, offers prevailing wages for trained apprentices, who then receive further job experience which provides them the opportunity to graduate into an earning level which can support a family.

Balancing the needs of the business with the needs of the client is also highly valued. It is not enough simply to meet job requirements. Blue Mountain Electric takes extra care to come up with the best possible solution. Abossein Engineering has worked successfully with Blue Mountain on over 30 projects in the last few years and has been able to provide creative and cost-effective solutions for the building owners and tax payers.

Abossein worked especially closely with Blue Mountain on the PSNS hospital complex. The power and fire alarm systems were to be upgraded in a phased approach as the hospital remained operational and the services could not be interrupted to any location critical to continued hospital operation.

Jay Werner, the Electrical Engineer at Abossein, spent considerable time coordinating the existing fire panel with the new one. The new main fire panel, a Monaco M2 Panel, and antenna system needed to be installed, tested and approved, and brought online with the base station in order to operate in parallel with the existing fire alarm panel during construction.

This allowed “the electrical contractor to replace each zone with related devices, systematically limiting the amount of affected areas, system downtime, and fire watch duties,” Werner said. New EMT was installed above the dropped ceiling throughout the corridors with junction boxes located at each wall device to pick up the existing conduit concealed in the walls.

The working experience has matured the relationship between Abossein Engineering, LLC and Blue Mountain Electric, Inc. to a level of solid, collaborative effectiveness. Abossein is excited about future opportunities with Blue Mountain Electric and sees our partnership continuing to strengthen and evolve as we enter a new era of our bright future together.

Union Gospel Mission New Center

Enveloped in a handsome, aesthetically welcoming new six story building, Union Gospel Mission’s Hope Place is a women and children’s shelter designed by our colleagues at Merrick Lentz Architect. Abossein Engineering is pleased to have provided the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection safety design for this renowned facility. Hope Place provides full recovery, transition and placement services for the homeless, and is currently housing 70 families in a secure, supportive environment.

Currently, there are 3,000 women and children in the Seattle area without shelter, most of them fleeing domestic violence. And, because homelessness is not a symptom of a single cause, but usually a confluence of multiple factors, permanent transition to a healthy and sustainable life requires a complex system of support systems. In addition to providing for basic needs like food and shelter, Hope Place also offers recovery services, life skills training, jobs skills training and counseling. Once a resident graduates from these programs, transition services are offered to help families provide for their own permanent housing, which they can provide for themselves and their children for the rest of their lives.

These skills are crucial, as one in five homeless people were also homeless as children, and the benefits conferred on a single family are leveraged into security for their children and generations to come. Hope Place is an 80,000 sq ft, secure facility, designed to be as safe as possible, without making families feel as though they are imprisoned. Large open layouts, bright colors, large secure windows, secure play areas, and community spaces provide for a sense of domestic tranquility for the residents that call Hope Place home.

This 26 million dollar facility is the only one of its kind, so far, built entirely from monies raised through private donations and grants. Hope Place is one of many Union Gospel Mission projects stewarded by Merrick Lentz Architect, and to date, the largest.

“The entire team worked diligently to realize Hope Place on time, and within budget,” said project manager, Craig Chaney of Merrick Lentz Architect.

Turner Construction was the general contractor for Hope Place, and Abossein Engineering, LLC assisted in developing the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection system. This project was completed in 2009, in cooperation with the team of talented, highly qualified architects, contractors and consultants.

Energy Benchmarking Becomes Law in Seattle

Seattle’s Energy Disclosure Ordinance (#123226), which was signed into law by the mayor on February 4, 2010, imposes new regulations for owners of non-residential and multi-residential buildings located within the city.

The new ordinance will require building owners to provide “energy benchmarking reports” to the Director of Planning and Development using the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager system, or another equally rigorous system. These reports must not only be submitted to the city, but also to any tenants, prospective buyers, or lenders who ask for them.

For owners of buildings of 50,000 sq ft or greater, the first report must be filed by April 1, 2011. Owners of multi-family buildings with five or more units, and home owner associations for condominiums must file their reports by April 2012. Further, these reports are to be updated before April 1 annually. Inaccurate reports will be subject to initial fines of $150 per citation, and prolonged non-compliance will be subject to daily fines up to $500. If a building owner does not file, fines will begin at $150 and increase to $500 for each additional offense.

This will not only require due diligence from building owners, but tenants as well. Tenants who refuse to provide information regarding their energy use may also be subject to citations and fines. The ordinance was passed by Seattle’s city council by a unanimous vote of 8-0.

At Abossein Engineering, we provide a wide array of energy consulting services, which include LEED engineering, Certified Energy Management Services, and Benchmarking Audits. Our staff fully is knowledgeable and equipped to provide all the support a building owner needs to take required measurements and be in compliance with new regulations.

Last Month's Answer: Capacitors

Question of the month (see next month's issue for the answer):

“True or False? A quick response sprinkler head opens at a lower temperature than an equal standard head.”