CREJ

36 / 104

36 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2017
• Interior/Exterior Painting
• Specialty Coatings
• Caulking & Sealants
• Parking Garage Services
• Stucco/Concrete/Metal Finishes
• High Rise Specialists
303-861-2030
Working with property owners and managers to maximize value for over 20 years.
OFFICE - INDUSTRIAL - RETAIL - HOTEL
Steamboat Grand
Petroleum Building
Majestic Commerce Center
The Windsor
ELEMENTS Engineering
I t’s no secret that commercial buildings are
responsible for a large portion of the en-
ergy consumption in the state of Colorado;
18 percent according to the Colorado Depart-
ment of Local Affairs. However, what may not
be widely known is that 66 percent of energy
consumption within commercial buildings is at-
tributed to the mechanical and lighting systems.
In an effort to become greener, many cities and
counties in Colorado, including Denver, have ad-
opted the 2015 International Energy Conser-
vation Code requirements.
Given that much of the code compliance
rests on the design of efficient mechanical
and lighting systems, the 2015 IECC is chang-
ing the way in which architectural/design
teams work with their mechanical, electrical
and plumbing engineers. In the past, the own-
ers of a building would share their vision with
the architect, who would then establish design
decisions before sending the project to bid. How-
ever, the bid prices do not account for the cost
of complying with the new code. It has become
critical to the budgeting, permitting and time line
of a project for the engineering team to be brought
on much earlier in the process to determine the
necessary systems before going to bid.
On the electrical design side, the biggest chal-
lenge that arises from 2015 IECC is the additional
costs related to lighting controls. Creating its most
prominent effect in commercial retrofits, the new
Antony Sinitsky
Associate
Principal,
MDP En-
gineering
Group
Bryce Clark,
PE
Associate
Principal,
MDP En-
gineering
Group
MDP Engineering Group provided engineering ser-
vices for 1900 16th Street.