Construction is underway at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and United States Courthouse, located at 880 Front Street in downtown San Diego, to replace its 30- year-old cooling system, in order to lower costs by increasing cooling capacity. KMA Architecture & Engineering (KMA) was hired by U.S. General Services Administration to oversee mechanical engineering for the project.
KMA designed and will oversee the installation of approximately 1,353 square feet of new corrosion resistant coils to 12 main air handlers, to increase performance and air flow of the cooling systems at both buildings. The new coil technology will not only increase cooling capacity, but it will also save money in the long term by reducing the central plant’s workload.
Since the United States Courthouse cannot be closed during the week, all construction activity will be limited to weekends.
Jim Belmont from KMA is the mechanical designer, Southern California Contractors, Inc. is the general contractor and Engineered Mechanical Services, Inc. is the mechanical contractor for the project.