Portfolio
This Portfolio of projects is summarized in groups representing
Eldorado Senior Center The Ken and Patty Adam Senior Center is located in the Eldorado community just east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Associated with an expansion doubling the facility, the entire HVAC system is being updated. The new variable refrigerant flow units provide both heating and air conditioning and because of the design provide redundancy as well.
Mesa Verde Community Center This Center is located in the heart of the La Mesa Neighborhood. The facility is equipped with a fitness room, arts and crafts room, game room, computer lab, gymnasium and classrooms. Assurance Engineering collaborated with Integrated Design and Architecture providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection support of this renovation.
Allegiance Realty
Allegiance is a privately held real estate investment company founded in 1996 with a current portfolio totaling 4.5 million square feet. It is actively acquiring multi-tenant office properties in primary and secondary markets throughout the US. To date, Assurance Engineering has supported two of its properties.
Albuquerque Plaza is a commercial property of 357,000 sq. ft., the second tallest building in New Mexico and is also one of the state’s most sustainable structures. Albuquerque Plaza utilizes a hybrid thermal energy storage system to proactively manage the financial and physical effectiveness of its indoor air quality (IAQ). The system helps alleviate the building’s dependence on the electric grid, cut carbon emissions, and reduces the energy required to cool its occupants. For over 20 years, shifting the electric demand used to cool the building from on-peak to off-peak hours has saved the property over US$1.2 million on electric utility bills. In 2002, the Bank of Albuquerque Tower was awarded BOMA’s “Office Building of the Year” award, which considers energy conservation as part of its judging criteria.
New Mexico Traditions Marketplace Budagher NM was a thriving trading post in the 1950s that was started by Joseph and Sally Budagher, who personally knew and traded with the Pueblo Indians in that area. Today, the 114,00 sq. ft. property is planned for re-development potentially as an area Charter School. Assurance Engineering provided forensic engineering support as part of assessing hail damage to the facility’s 50+ HVAC units.
Honeywell Defense Avionics Systems This was a Design- Build project. Changes to the planned occupancy and use of ~35,000 SF of Commercial Office and Labs dictated substantial renovations. These changes had to occur while the space remained actively occupied without violating DoD security protocols. Assurance Engineering provided coordination of Title I and II MEP and Fire Protection with multiple occupancy / space use as well as construction administration including commissioning review.
Moriarty Indoor Shooting Range Indoor firing ranges are popular among law enforcement and recreational shooters because they offer protection from inclement weather conditions and can be operated around the clock under controlled environmental conditions. That said, many firing range facilities lack environmental and occupational controls to protect the health of shooters and range personnel from effects of airborne lead, noise, and other potential exposures. Assurance Engineering designed the air delivery system to exceed DoD, OSHA, and NIOSH standards of practice.
Sawmill Senior Citizen Complex Integrated Design and Architect is the architect of record for this senior housing project. Assurance Engineering provided HVAC, plumbing, sanitary engineering, and coordination of the Fire Detection and Suppression systems.
Stage Coach Apartments – HUD The 60-unit affordable housing community was developed by The Housing Trust and received $9.8 million in funding from UnitedHealth Group for the $12 million renovation and new construction project. UnitedHealth Group has invested a total of $22 million for three affordable housing projects in the state. Located in Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Deming, each provides housing opportunities and onsite social services for low-income families, seniors, and people with special needs and who are at risk of becoming homeless. The developments created 179 new housing units and nearly 300 construction and permanent jobs in the state. (Ribbon cutting, June 25, 2013). Assurance Engineering collaborated with Integrated Design and Architecture providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection support of this renovation.
Los Lunas Intensive Outpatient Treatment and Training Facilities Developed Bridging Documents for this state-of-the-art substance abuse treatment facility. At full build-out, the campus format is made up of three buildings of nominally 32,000 sf.
Lovelace Hospital
Recent attention in health care has been on the actual architectural design of a hospital facility, including its technology and equipment, and its effect on patient safety. To address the problems of errors in health care and serious safety issues, fundamental changes of health care processes, culture, and the physical environment are necessary and need to be aligned, so that the caregivers and the resources that support them enable safe care.
Assurance Engineering teamed with Integrated Design and Architecture to produce these two projects for Lovelace. Assurance Engineering’s role includes general consultation, determination of applicable codes and standards of practice, as well as conventional engineering design support.
All ADA Patient Bathrooms – based on Healthcare Facilities Management Reports (HFM)
The proper design of the bathroom can have a real effect on the number of in-patient falls.
In-patient falls are the largest single category of reported incidents in hospitals, affecting up to 10% of annual hospital admissions. In addition, it has been estimated that 30% of in-patient falls result in injury.
Key design criteria:
- HFM studies have found that it is important for the bathroom doors to remain open when not in use. There were approximately twice as many patient falls when the door had to be closed, in order to avoid blocking traffic.
- It is safer to have the toilet located on a sidewall in the bathroom rather than directly across from the entrance.
- The type of flooring plays into safety issues as well. Patients fall about 10 times more often on linoleum flooring than they do if the bathroom has VCT or ceramic tile flooring.
- Grab bars are particularly relevant inside the bathroom. It is important to provide a continuous handrail to the toilet.
Interventional Radiology Suites
Lovelace is proactively upgrading its core diagnostic infrastructure. The GE Innova IGS 540 system provides a non-evasive tool to accurately assess patient conditions. Three existing procedural suites will be upgraded.
Oso Bio Pharmaceutical
As a mid-sized manufacturing facility, OsoBio offers flexibility in meeting a range of unique product demands, from clinical to commercial batch sizes to complex potent compounds. OsoBio has the capability of providing round-the-clock production services.
Assurance Engineering conducted a full OSHA compliance audit specifically focused on the storage, and manufacturing use of tert Butyl alcohol (TBA, a class IB flammable material) as part of a proprietary lyophilization process at the heart of OsoBio’s pharmaceutical compounding facility.
UNM Basic Research Facility Houses many laboratories and office space for research faculty at the UNM School of Medicine.
Assurance Engineering provided engineering support to better control critical HVAC exhaust and supply infrastructure.
UNM Domenici Hall, Referred to as the MIND (Mental Illness and Neuroscience Discovery) Institute, the University of New Mexico Biomedical Research and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Center is co-located in The Pete and Nancy Domenici Hall with The Mind Research Network. The center includes a cellular and molecular core for analyzing brain tissue of animals studied with the neuroimaging tools. The Mind Research Network (MRN) initial plan called for the research and development of state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging and magneto encephalogram neuroimaging systems in the studies of mental illness and brain disorders. Collaborators are Harvard University, MIT, the University of Minnesota, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of New Mexico.
Assurance Engineering was engaged to re-engineer the building management systems to achieve a substantial improvement in IAQ and reduced operational expense
UNM Hospital Fire Protection-BBRP The University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital, New Mexico’s only dedicated Children’s Hospital, is an academic medical center with health care providers expertly trained to deliver the most advanced neonatology and pediatric care in New Mexico. Nestled in nearly 500,000 square feet of the new Barbara & Bill Richardson Pavilion, UNM Children’s Hospital cares for nearly 60,000 children, over half of whom live outside of the Albuquerque area. The range of care extends from acute illness and trauma to chronic disease and disability and draws additional expertise from UNM’s School of Medicine, Colleges of Nursing and Pharmacy, and UNM Cancer Center.
Assurance Engineering is providing third party review of the fire suppression system specific to the main utility connection and on-site emergency power.
University of New Mexico Hospitals — Main
University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH), the state’s only academic medical center, is the primary teaching hospital for the university’s School of Medicine. UNMH cares for a large, diverse population with complex and urgent health needs, providing more than $135 million of uncompensated care per year.
Assurance Engineering teamed with Clinton Fire Design to produce a fully integrated fire alarm system for the Main Hospital of UNMH. Assurance Engineering’s role includes general consultation, determination of applicable codes and standards of practice, as well as conventional engineering design support.
Clients & Projects
This is summarized in groups of our different clients and projects.
Rodgers Hall Renovation
Rodgers Hall was built in 1934 and originally served as the Highlands library. Architect John Gaw Meem designed Rodgers Hall in the Spanish Colonial style with a French tile roof. In 1988, Rodgers Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The architect chosen to manage the renovation of Rodgers Hall is Baker Architecture + Design based in Albuquerque. The architectural firm also designed the McCaffrey Historic Trolley Building.
Assurance Engineering teamed with Clinton Fire Design to produce a fully integrated fire alarm system for the Main Hospital of UNMH. Assurance Engineering’s role includes general consultation, determination of applicable codes and standards of practice, as well as conventional engineering design support.
New Mexico State University Carlsbad Campus
Assurance Engineering teamed with Clinton Fire Design to produce a fully integrated fire alarm system for the Main Buildings of NMSU. Assurance Engineering’s role includes general consultation, determination of applicable codes and standards of practice, as well as conventional engineering design support.
Main Campus Art Building Special Fire Stopping Inspections
Assurance Engineering acted as the University’s Agent to inspect fire-stopping system as part of the passive life safety system.
Assurance Engineering’s role includes general consultation, determination of applicable codes and standards of practice, as well as conventional engineering design support.
Los Alamos National Labs, NM
Projects at
TA 53 AHU replacement
TA 48 SEM Facility
TA 48 Portables Offices
TA 3 123 Structural
TA 3 Fire Protection
TA 33 Generator Enclosure
Multiple technical areas including critical air handling units, and fire protection.
Sandia National Laboratories
For more than 70 years, Sandia has delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most challenging security issues.
Sandia has locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Livermore, California; Kauai, Hawaii; and Tonopah, Nevada. It is managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc.
National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia operates Sandia National Laboratories as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and supports numerous federal, state, and local government agencies, companies, and organizations.
Department of Defense
Automatic Sprinkler of Texas, located in Duncanville, Texas operates throughout the southwestern USA providing fire alarm and suppression to commercial and Federal facilities.
Assurance Engineering Inc. collaborates with ASoT specifically to produce designs that meet the requirements of UFC 3-600-01 C3. We have worked together at Holloman AFB, Corry Naval Air Station, Vance AFB, Gitmo, Ft Hood, and Ft Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
Albuquerque International Sunport
Albuquerque International Sunport (AIS) welcomes nearly five million travelers a year and is the gateway to the diverse cultures, rich history and breathtaking landscapes that make Mew Mexico the Land of Enchantment.
Since late in 2015, AIS has undergone substantial renovations.
Edward Henderson of Assurance Engineering, Inc. is the Engineer of Record for all of the mechanical and life safety systems. This included renovation of all 16 penthouse HVAC systems, 45 AHU and life safety smoke relief systems.
National Nuclear Security Administration
NSA’s Sandia National Laboratories is responsible for the development, testing, and production of specialized nonnuclear components and quality assurance and systems engineering for all U.S. nuclear weapons.
Assurance Engineering, Inc. is contracted to Caddell Construction to provide special inspections of air barriers, fire stopping and fire safing. The new three stories offices of approximately 334,000 square feet will provide a safe, modern, and reliable workspace for approximately 1,200 federal and contract employees who support NNSA’s vital national security missions. The project is scheduled for completion in December of 2020.
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Vermejo Ranch
The Vermejo Park Ranch is a 590,823-acre (2,391 km2) ranch owned by Ted Turner in northeastern New Mexico and southern Colorado that is said to be the largest privately owned, contiguous tract of land in the United States and about 3/4 the size of the State of Rhode Island. Chicago businessman William H. Bartlett purchased the present-day Vermejo Park Ranch from the Maxwell Land Grant Company in 1902. The Bartletts built Casa Grande and Casa Minor in the main complex and later built the original Costilla Lodge for high-mountain fishing and hunting excursions. Ted Turner’s company, Vermejo Park, LLC, purchased Vermejo Park Ranch from the Pennzoil Corporation in 1996, and a variety of forestry and wildlife management programs were started and remain ongoing.
Accent Fire Safety teamed with Assurance Engineering to provide a fire protection system for Casa Grande. The elaborate antique finishes and tapestry wall coverings presented a challenging design atmosphere.
Highlands University Las Vegas, NM
A newly built and occupied dormitory located in Northeastern New Mexico experienced a failure of the wet pipe / dry pipe system during the first 6 months of operation. Water damage was substantial. Bituminous engaged Assurance Engineering to identify the root cause of the failure. Engineering services specific to Fire Protection included the review of the construction documents inspection of the site and inspection of the failed and repaired systems at a component level. The facility included an independent fire/jockey pump and housing, multiple risers, inspection of the fire alarm devices, fire control panel, and communications to the supervisory panel.
NM State Police District 2
The Las Vegas District is nestled at the foot of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains and meets the wide-open plains of Eastern New Mexico.
District 2 is the primary law enforcement agency, with calls for service and response to more than thirty communities.
Miller Engineering engaged Assurance Engineering to review the design and construction documents pertaining to a private fire pump and housing.
Tesuque Law Enforcement Center, NM
The Tesuque Law Enforcement Training Center is to be located in North Central New Mexico. Functionally it is planned to serve as an interagency law enforcement communications hub, be available for use for first-responder training and simultaneously act as a place of refuge in the event of a disaster.
Assurance Engineering provided HVAC, plumbing, sanitary engineering and Fire Detection and Suppression systems services.
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Sandia National Laboratory
Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (Spiders) is based on a Joint Command Technology Development (JCTD) project between Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security.
The objective of the SPIDERS JCTD is to demonstrate that microgrids developed using Sandia’s Energy Surety Microgrid (ESM) methodology have the ability to maintain operational surety through secure, reliable, and resilient electric power generation and distribution to mission-critical loads. The results of the SPIDERS JCTD will help inform infrastructure investment decisions needed to reduce the “unacceptably high risk” of extended electric grid outages.
The principal of Assurance Engineering was engaged as a subject matter expert regarding the integration of legacy diesel generators as a significant part of the Microgrid.
Landfill Gas Production, Rosenberg, TX
Landfill Gas Production, LLC in Rosenberg, Texas provides conditioned landfill gas (refuse derived fuel) to a Frito Lay processing plant six miles away through a dedicated medium pressure pipeline. The closed county landfill produces approximately 400 MMBtu / day to offset the natural gas used in a high pressure steam boiler. In 1999, Frito-Lay, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PepsiCo, set out to achieve a manufacturing reduction of consumable resources, including a 50% reduction in water, 30% in natural gas, and 25% in electricity. This gas processing plant has been operational since 2003 making a significant contribution to Frito Lay’s goals.
United States Postal Service, NM & TX
Building energy audits at thirty post offices in New Mexico and Texas. Identified energy conservation opportunities including lighting and lighting controls, HVAC and HVAC controls, building envelope, and water savings projects. Estimated energy savings, project costs, and return on investment. Produced construction documents and specifications for approved projects.
US Department of Health – Fort Bayard, NM, a National Historic Site
Equivalent woody bio-mass replacement of a natural gas-fired steam boiler for this 250-bed region hospital. The wood fuel for this project will be harvested from the Gila National Forest to limit the potential for forest fires from lightning strikes.
Ft Bayard National Cemetery contains graves of both military and civilians dating from the Indian Wars to the present.
Fort Sill, OK – Sandia National Laboratory Micro-grid
Landfill gas to micro-grid at the primary military training facility for the US Army Field Artillery and the US Air Defense Artillery Schools. Reliable power sources are critical to post operations. As part of mission support, the capture and use of landfill gas for a secure and renewable fuel source are being evaluated as part of a long term strategy for this and other military posts.
Of the 16 landfills on this base, the largest, a 2.5 MM cubic meter capacity MSW site, was chosen for evaluation.
Four Peaks Energy – Camino Real Landfill Gas to Electricity, Sunland Park, NM
The Camino Real Landfill is situated in Sunland Park, NM, and serves the population of El Paso, Texas. This Qualifying Facility generates electricity with two Caterpillar 3520 engine generators fueled with landfill gas. Prior to combustion, volatile organic compounds, siloxanes, and water vapor are removed from the gas to meet quality requirements and reduce maintenance. At full capacity, the plant will produce at a rate of 3.2 MW per hour, potentially over 22,000,000 kWh annually.
Frito-Lay Steam Micro-Turbine, Rosenberg, TX
A steam micro-turbine was installed to utilize waste energy at a Frito-Lay snack food plant in Rosenberg, TX. The generated electricity powers plant equipment and offsets power purchased from the local electric utility.
IOLA – Monroe County Community College, NY
Siemens Building Technologies Inc. first began discussions with Monroe County, NY about different ways to save county taxpayers money and make the county more energy independent. It took heart from the name of the county’s aging power site named “IOLA.” It’s a Native American word that means ‘never discouraged.’ That attitude served Siemens and the Rochester-area county government well as they worked their way to a mutually beneficial solution. Assurance Engineering provided a full characterization of the 4.5 MW facility and made recommendations to maximize energy production. Specifically,
- An overall assessment of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance of the integrated installation.
- Full measurement and verification of outputs relative to OEM specification and applicable ISO standards.
- Re-design of the prime mover foundations to eliminate resonant vibration.
Hudson Valley had spent about $1.5 million annually on electricity, and $300,000 per year on natural gas. The new grid-independent 5 MW CHP facility has reduced the college’s campus electricity bill to zero but has increased its natural gas costs to $900,000, which results in an overall savings of approximately $900,000 annually in energy costs. Assurance Engineering provided a full operational characterization of the facility and made control modifications to eliminate system instability due to black-outs.
Wendel Companies / RSEnergy USA
ASHRAE has established three “standard” levels of energy audits. Wendel engaged licensed Professional Engineers, Certified Energy Managers and LEED Accredited Professionals conducted Level 2 audits of a representative sample of its Business Customers for the New York Power Authority. In total ~5,000,000 SF
Assurance Engineering actively supports the implementation of non-conventional technologies. The integration of fundamentally sound, multi-discipline engineering is at the core of these examples.
PIT-Energy
Point in Time Energy is a suite of decision support software. The financial operation of Combined Heat and Power plants can be dynamically optimized relative to utility-supplied power realizing substantial savings compared to conventional scheduling.
Assurance Engineering is one of the founders of PIT-Energy. We developed the core energy management software providing technical and software support.
Jet Stream Wind
The Spectrum™ Solar Electric Dish System is designed for utility-level service. It is the first system of its kind that can be implemented for independent commercial or municipal use, or for grid-dependent uses.
An 18-foot dish uses a reflective coating developed in cooperation with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others to concentrate the sun’s energy to power a hybrid Sterling (Herling) Engine. The Herling generates alternating current electricity. Alternatively, the solar dish can be fitted with concentrating solar photovoltaic cells.
Assurance Engineering is providing general engineering support to address the thermal sub-systems of future installation and meet the requirements of international certifications.
Novatec Solar GmbH
Novatec Solar undertakes manufacture, supply, and turnkey delivery of solar boilers based on unique Fresnel collector technology for a range of applications including concentrated solar power stations and industrial processes e.g. enhanced oil recovery.
Assurance Engineering provided project management support to introduce this unique technology as a supplement to coal-fueled utility power stations throughout the southwest US.