Engineering
Engineering
Today's emphasis on building performance, integrated systems, sustainable design, and flexibility requires an integrated team of architects and engineers. Building solutions must be derived from a total building/campus perspective. This holistic viewpoint drives our design process, as architects sit side-by-side with engineers in interdisciplinary teams. The product of this collaboration? Systems that are safe, energy efficient, and fine-tuned to your requirements.
At the forefront of science and technology, our engineers excel in scientific analysis, invention, and design. We have developed cutting-edge building systems for the most demanding technology environments in the world, resulting in numerous patents for air quality systems and energy-conserving equipment. Our iterative design process, in lock-step with the architectural design intent, ensures an elegant building that responds to your technical challenges.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is one of the most critical disciplines essential to the successful design of your building. Our highly experienced team has developed systems for a variety of demanding applications, from office buildings and laboratories (including BSL-3 and BSL-4 spaces) to clean rooms, data centers, and biomanufacturing facilities. Our portfolio ranges from new construction and retrofit projects to campus infrastructure systems and central energy plants.
Our experts can help you with:
- HVAC systems design
- Plumbing systems for potable water, hot water, sanitary sewers, and storm drains
- Exhaust systems, including ductwork materials and system configuration based on careful review of code requirements, redundancy, and flexibility
- Fire protection systems
- Noise and vibration control including sound attenuation on air distribution and vibration isolation of equipment, ductwork, and piping systems
- Energy conservation
- Airflow modeling, utilizing computational fluid dynamics technology to reduce environmental impact, provide cost-saving alternatives, and streamline processes
Electrical Engineering
We design electrical distribution systems to meet your criteria for capacity, redundancy, reliability, and flexibility. In addition to design for new facilities, our engineers analyze existing electrical systems, perform studies of alternative methods, and offer state-of-the-art engineering solutions to your facility power requirements.
Our experts can help you with:
- Power supply including substations and utility interface, for new and existing facilities
- Distribution systems for normal, emergency, standby, and power conditioning for new and existing facilities
- Grounding surge suppression, lightning protection, and system design for safe and reliable equipment operation
- Lighting system design for illumination, efficiency, and color quality
- Power system analysis, harmonics, power factors, EMI, ESD, and RFI
Civil Engineering
Our civil engineering services integrate all aspects of site development, producing a comprehensive plan that serves the functional mission of your site.
Our experts can help you with:
- Site grading together with erosion and sediment control systems, and stormwater management
- Roadway, service yard, and parking area design
- Interfacing with local jurisdictions and insurance carriers to take advantage of the best available rate structure and capital costs
- Environmentally sensitive design including stormwater management and landscape design
- Economical use of materials and installation methods with an emphasis on life-cycle cost impacts
Structural Engineering
As a CH2M HILL company, IDC Architects is able to offer you the structural engineering design and construction administration services provided by CH2M HILL subsidiary Paragon Structural Design, Inc.
Founded in 1963, Paragon has completed over $9 billion in domestic and international construction, with projects ranging in size from $50,000 to $600 million. The firm has provided award-winning, innovative, and economical solutions for a wide range of the most challenging projects. Paragon's portfolio includes nearly all types of industrial and commercial buildings, as well as hospitals and medical facilities, parking garages, correctional facilities, electronic plants, and projects for aviation, education, and hospitality. Their design capabilities encompass multiple-span beams and columns, long-span trusses, mat foundations, concrete slab systems, composite steel beams, and three-dimensional dynamic seismic analysis of structures. They use more than 30 structural design programs, and perform dynamic seismic analysis using ETABS® and SAP2000TM software.
Technical Services
Our technical services group of specialists uses unique analytical tools that are instrumental in evaluating design concepts for your high-performance buildings. We ensure the performance of our designs through rigorous analysis and testing prior to construction.
Our experts can help you with:
- Computer simulation of high efficiency passive and mechanical systems
- Computer analysis of natural and artificial lighting
- Airflow modeling
- Cost estimating
- Life-cycle cost analysis
- Energy analysis (SEED)
- Commissioning
- LEED® certification solutions