Encorus was tasked with providing architectural and engineering designs for an upgrade to the existing fire department building at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. The objective of this project was to reconstruct the entire footprint of the existing single-story building housing both the Campus Fire Department and the Grounds and Transportation Work Center.
This project required the design of fire station-specific areas and equipment, including a vehicle bay, multiple bedrooms, offices, a kitchen, gym, day room, laundry room, and storage areas. Design for the construction was phased so as to ensure no impact on the 24/7 operations of the fire department.
Encorus provided the design of the fire station to include all requested rooms and functions so that the fire department can perform at the highest level of efficiency. In addition to architectural and structural design of the building, Encorus designed all building utilities, communications systems, a new HVAC system, plumbing systems, and demolition for selected portions of the existing building.
The steam-to-hot-water heat exchanger designed as part of the project was somewhat unique as it not only provided hot water to the facility, but was also utilized to provide energy for in-floor heating and sidewalk melt systems. The hot water loop was also used to heat the interior of the building through a mix of fin tune and fan coil units. The design also included Legionella control considerations as required per the VA Plumbing and HVAC Design Manuals.
