Police barracks and forensics lab awarded for energy innovation

Packed with highly specialized forensics equipment, a computer crimes lab, evidence storage and weapons storage spaces, detention areas, investigative offices, training rooms, a vehicle maintenance garage and more, the new Maryland State Police Barrack V in Berlin was an understandable choice for an innovative project award.

Designed to house the Eastern Regional Forensic Laboratory and Computer Crimes Section, the 30,000 square foot facility required designers, engineers and builders to meet extraordinary requirements.

“There were a lot of specialized gas systems in the building and they were high-purity gas systems – Helium 5, Hydrogen 5, Nitrogen 3, Argon 5 – so they required special stainless steel piping and orbital welding,” said Scott Dixon, Project Manager at Gipe Associates which provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems design on the project.

Due to the sensitive nature of work in the forensics laboratory, “quick response Antec volume regulators were used in the supply air and exhaust air systems to respond to fume hood sash movements,” Dixon said. “Outside air was injected into the exhaust fans to maintain the required exit velocity.”

The facility required a 1250 kw diesel generator to provide full-building backup and a 100 kW/kVA central UPS for critical loads. The building design included three, high-efficiency boilers, variable flow heating water lines, a variable refrigerant flow system, a dedicated outside air unit and an energy recovery system. The garage included a vehicle exhaust system and numerous radiant gas heaters while the data center required precise environmental controls.

This summer, that extraordinary project earned the project team which included MK Consulting Engineers (civil engineering) and Manas Woodward Studios (architect), a most innovative project award. “But we got the award from the Delmarva Power Service Providers because of our energy savings,” Dixon said. “This building showed the most energy savings among all the buildings on the Delmarva power grid.”

Photos courtesy of Gipe Associates.