Mechanical Engineering

Wells Concrete’s new Brighton facility consolidates two existing Denver locations into a single, comprehensive manufacturing operation to enhance production capability and flexibility for the Denver market. The 122,673-square-foot precast facility sits on 64.5 acres and features year-round indoor production capabilities for architectural precast and outdoor structural forms, with lifting capacity upgraded from 15-ton to 25-ton cranes to accommodate larger products and higher volumes.

The manufacturing facility incorporates long-line prestressing forms and an expanded inventory of movable forms to meet diverse project demands. The versatile production facility enables identical product manufacturing with consistent quality while maintaining flexibility to meet demanding schedules and minimize project risk. The specialized facility includes a 4,500-square-foot mold shop, steel shop, lunchroom, office, maintenance bays, boiler and air-compressor room, production area, beam bed/storage area, tool room, QC lab, chemical storage area, and washroom.

As the project’s mechanical and electrical engineer, RMH provided mechanical and electrical design and construction-phase services for the new concrete pre-stress plant. Services included chilled water, steam, compressed air, power, and natural gas systems to support the specialized manufacturing operations.

At NREL’s Flatiron Campus, cutting-edge research focuses on testing emerging wind technologies and accelerating their market availability. Researchers conduct a series of tests and accurate transient simulation studies to understand how individual wind turbines handle grid disturbances. Field testing wind turbines can be both expensive and time-consuming.

RMH’s Controllable Grid Interface Row 1 (CGI-1) test system design supports this process by significantly reducing the time and cost of testing wind turbines by enabling controlled laboratory testing. The 9 MW CGI combines hardware and real-time control software, operating with existing 2.5 MW and 5 MW dynamometer facilities (also partially designed by RMH). This setup simulates grid disturbances on wind turbine terminals and estimates the impacts of turbine responses on the grid. The CGI test system project created the first U.S. test facility with fault-simulation capabilities and the only system globally fully integrated with two dynamometers designed to work with four types of wind turbines, including the largest wind turbine drivetrains used in land-based markets. The CGI-2 project enhanced the campus’s capabilities by increasing connected grid power from 9 MW to 19.9 MW, complying with local utility requirements.

RMH also designed the electrical and communications infrastructure to connect dynamometers used for testing wind turbine drivetrain components with the grid and fault simulation areas. This infrastructure features ride-through capability and safely withstands abnormal grid conditions such as faults. RMH configured the CGI system flexibly to connect multiple test objects, including utility-scale wind turbines, other renewable energy generation systems like photovoltaic arrays, and grid-scale energy storage units.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) in Cheyenne represents a significant leap in our understanding of climate, weather, and Earth processes. Designed with a flexible, modular approach, the facility houses next-generation supercomputing systems up to 1,000 watts/SF. It supports researchers in crucial tasks, such as visualizing future climate scenarios and tracking hurricane paths. With a commitment to low energy performance, the NWSC achieves a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.08, positioning it among the top 1% of the most efficient data centers globally.

To capitalize on Cheyenne’s unique cool, dry climate, RMH engineers used evaporative cooling towers to provide sufficient cooling for NCAR’s supercomputing equipment for 96% of the year. A 150′ x 8′ ultra-low-energy fan wall cools air-cooled equipment on the data center floor. Waste heat from the supercomputer is reused to heat administrative areas and melt snow on walkways and loading docks. Additionally, a chilled-beam system delivers efficient cooling in administrative spaces, while ultra-efficient water-saving technologies achieve savings of up to six million gallons annually.

The facility encompasses 153,000 square feet, featuring modular data storage, a visitor center, and a 100,000-square-foot central utility plant. Furthermore, eco-friendly design elements, highlighted by LEED Gold certification, affirm the NWSC’s dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainability. This groundbreaking center advances scientific research and promotes energy efficiency and conservation on a grand scale.

RMH Group provided MEP engineering services for renovating and expanding the University of Colorado at Boulder’s recreation center. The project involved updating the 215,000-square-foot facility and adding 93,000 square feet of new space. The enhanced recreation center now offers expanded weight and cardio areas, a new ice rink with stadium seating and LED lighting, a three-story rock-climbing gym with a bouldering wall, an outdoor aquatics facility, an indoor turf gym, four lighted rooftop tennis courts, a new entrance and lobby, and renovated pools, gyms, and locker rooms.

Focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability goals, the project incorporates innovative heating and cooling systems that significantly reduce energy consumption. Features such as a heat recovery loop, which transfers excess heat to areas like the swimming pools and domestic hot water system, along with evaporative cooling, thermal displacement ventilation, radiant slab heating, and daylight harvesting, all contribute to the building’s energy profile. This recreation center earned LEED Platinum certification upon completion.

The St. Francis Medical Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, underwent an expansive project to cater to a 50% increase in patient volume since 2008, aiming to meet the growing community’s needs by expanding its capacity and enhancing care delivery.

The project included the construction of a 250,410-square-foot acute care facility, which features an emergency department, operating rooms, and an upgraded Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It also provides additional space for future growth. Key features of the expansion are a 30,000-square-foot parking area, a 34,000-square-foot Emergency Department with adaptable space, two operating theaters, a 22-bay post-anesthesia care unit, and 12,500 square feet for future operating rooms on Level 1. Level 2 has reserved space for surgical expansion, while Level 3 saw a 31,000-square-foot NICU expansion and renovations. Level 4 includes interstitial space for mechanical and electrical infrastructure, and Levels 5 and 6 will accommodate 64 MedSurg beds. RMH also provided the design to update the central utility plant to support the expansion, including a new chiller, boiler, and cooling tower.

The project utilized an Integrated Project Delivery method, completing 56 days early and 2% under budget. RMH introduced innovations such as tunable LED white light technology in the NICU to support infant circadian rhythms, enhancing care quality. Additionally, sustainability and efficiency were emphasized through daylight harvesting and high-efficiency lighting, balancing energy savings with maintaining safe care environments.

The RMH Group delivered comprehensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services for the Children’s Hospital North Expansion. This project transformed a 47,000-square-foot clinic into a 236,000-square-foot pediatric hospital, addressing the growing needs of Northern Colorado and Wyoming families.

Key services included HVAC, medical gas, building automation, energy code compliance, and fire protection systems. The project utilized the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method, ensuring efficient collaboration and innovation. Notable features include wireless lighting controls and advanced standby power generators, enhancing energy efficiency and reliability. The expansion also added a new medical office building, an outpatient clinic, and critical infrastructure upgrades. This leading-edge facility now offers comprehensive pediatric services, including orthopedics, cancer care, and emergency services.

The collaboration between the project team and the Owner’s staff led to creating a facility that achieved an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 150, surpassing the future compliance benchmark of 172 EUI set by the State of Colorado’s Building Performance Standards for hospitals by 2030.

At the heart of Denver, the Auraria Campus is a beacon of knowledge and opportunity, serving over 40,000 students, faculty, and staff from the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. The Campus HVAC Replacement project marks a significant step towards continuing to provide a conducive environment to learn and work while enriching the local community.

RMH is the prime consultant on the project, providing mechanical and electrical engineering services focused on replacing an aging mechanical infrastructure across the campus. This project provides more efficient and reliable service for nine key buildings on campus, covering over 1.25 million square feet. Recognizing HVAC upgrades as more than maintenance, RMH aims to respond to increasingly frequent and extreme weather conditions and the need for thermal comfort. According to Natasha Hernandez, RMH’s Vice President, the project aims to create the best conditions for learning, knowledge, and productivity for all campus users.

The project’s impact will extend beyond the buildings, transforming learning environments. AHEC can count on RMH’s expertise and commitment to providing top-notch HVAC solutions for its campus stakeholders and the surrounding communities.