Commercial Architecture April 2018 - 38

PROJECT

hvac

50% of a commercial building's energy

cifically for commercial hydronic sys-

use, designing efficient heating and cool-

tems, provide radiant floor heating and

ing systems was critical to meeting the

cooling in the ground-floor lobby and in

project's sustainability goals.

sky lobbies.

Working with AC Martin and the general contractor, Turner Construction Co.,

A-C FIRE PUMP'S PLAN

Los Angeles (turnerconstruction.com),

From the rooftop's open-air plaza on

ACCO Engineered Systems, Los Angeles

the 73rd floor, the views extend to the

(accoes.com), completed the design of the

southern California coast 50 miles out.

hydronic HVAC system that would

The roof design is one of the most talk-

achieve LEED-Gold status. The HVAC

ed-about features of the building, break-

system features a central plant with

ing with L.A.'s traditionally flat-roofed

high-efficiency chillers and condensing

skyscrapers that are required to have

boilers that supply chilled and hot water to

helipads by city code. Wilshire Grand

the 2.1-million-sq.-ft. building.

architects obtained an exemption from

Relying on its longstanding relation-

this 1970s rule, reportedly because of the

ship with Dawson Co., Pomona, CA (daw-

addition of other fire-safety features that

sonco.com), a Bell & Gossett manufactur-

would exceed the city's fire-code require-

er's representative, ACCO specified Bell &

ments, such as the reinforced concrete

Gossett, Morton Grove, IL (bellgossett.

central core that contains a staircase sole-

com), pumps and products for the

ly for the use of firefighters in the event

Wilshire Grand's HVAC system.

of an emergency.

"A major challenge on the project was

Stringent L.A. and California build-

that construction had to begin prior to

ing codes for fire safety and the NFPA 20

completion of the design-and the budget

Standard for the Installation of Station-

was already set," said John Boncich, senior

ary Pumps for Fire Protection-as well as

vice president, ACCO Engineered Sys-

project parameters-drove the design

tems. "We knew support from the Dawson

process.

and Bell & Gossett teams would be im-

"One of the challenges was to design

portant from a technical standpoint and

a system that met the city of L.A.'s re-

also in meeting critical milestone dates."

quirement that total pressure shutoff
can't exceed 600 psi," said Brian Buscher,

BELL & GOSSETT'S ROLE

global product manager-fire protection,

The 1,100-ft.-tall building is anchored by a

Xylem AWS. "Our A-C Fire Pump dis-

seven-level podium structure that houses

tributor, Starfire Inc., [Anaheim, CA,

retail establishments, restaurants, meeting

starfireusa.com], worked closely with

rooms, ballrooms, and a swimming pool.

sprinkler contractor XL Fire Protection
The Wilshire Grand Center is notable for achieving new levels of safety and sustainability, from its reinforced concrete core for earthquake and fire protection, to its radiant heating and cooling systems that use a fraction of the
energy of a forced-air system. Photo: Gary Leonard/Wilshire Grand Center

On top of the podium is 400,000 sq. ft. of
office space.
Bell & Gossett's 300-psig working pressure VSX and e-1510 pumps supply chilled

[Santa Ana, CA, xlfireprotection.com]
on the design."
Brian Callahan, president of XL Fire
Protection, is an accredited Certified

and hot water to the podium and office

heat exchangers isolate the building's pressure zones

levels, and standard-working-pressure VSX pumps serve

from each other.

Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) by
NFPA, and level 4 certified NICET designer. He sketched

the thermal-energy-storage system that is located on the

Other Bell & Gossett equipment that was used in the

a two-zone system that met the highrise requirements,

podium's second level. The energy storage system charges

HVAC system includes air separators and expansion

worked within the space restraints of the fire pump room,

a water tank overnight to reduce the number of chillers

tanks that function to increase and decrease pressures in

and did not exceed maximum pressure requirements.

that are needed to operate the building during daytime

the hydronic system in response to any changes in build-

hours.

ing temperature.

"One pump services the low zone, but the high-zone
portion requires two pumps in series to create the 600 psi

"Besides the versatility and robustness, the VSX

The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel,

that was required. Once I knew the flow and pressure re-

brings to a high-efficiency hydronic system, it's easily ser-

with about 900 rooms on floors 31 to 66, a 70th-floor sky

quirements, I was able to select the right combination of

viceable, and its compact design takes up less space in the

lobby, and bars and restaurants on floors 69 and 71, occu-

pumps to achieve that result," stated Starfire's Bennett.

pump room," said Manual Masso, Dawson Co. vice pres-

py the building's tower structure. Inside the mechanical

A-C Fire Pump vertical-turbine pumps and A-C Fire

ident of commercial sales. "Decreasing the size of me-

room on the 30th floor, 300-psig VSX pumps provide

Pump 8200 series horizontal split-case pumps were select-

chanical rooms means more saleable space, and that's a

climate comfort to the hotel guest rooms using four-pipe

ed for the job. Codes require an exact set of redundant

priority in all commercial building projects."

fan-coil units and air handlers.

fire pumps on each level, so that meant six fire pumps in

Bell & Gossett AHRI 400 certified plate-and-frame
38

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

APRIL 2018

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Bell & Gossett series e-90 inline pumps, designed spe-

total. "By getting the number of pumps down to six,

http://www.turnerconstruction.com http://www.accoes.com http://www.sonco.com http://www.starfireusa.com http://www.xlfireprotection.com http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture April 2018