Pepsi Center, DENVER, CO

Building Heating, Cooling and Mechanical Services

TRAUTMAN & SHREVE VALUE DELIVERED

This mechanical construction project had an aggressive, fast-track schedule that required the design/build and coordination of drawings as well as the fabrication of 90% of the HVAC piping by Trautman & Shreve.

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION SCOPE OF WORK

This 875,000 square foot NHL Hockey and NBA Basketball arena for the Colorado Region included plumbing systems, fire protection systems, electrical systems and sheet metal piping, as well as the HVAC systems piping. This mechanical construction project included a 2,000-ton cooling system with 27 miles of piping. The arena, which sits on 52 acres, contains over 19,000 seats and 41 public restrooms.

An abundance of amenities exist at the Pepsi Center requiring the installation of over 35 miles of piping including 23 miles of domestic water & sanitary sewer piping and 12 miles of hot and cold water piping. There will no longer be long lines at the restrooms since 41 public restroom facilities have been installed. There are also 96 individual suites, which required the installation of private restrooms and wet bars.

Players and performers will also come to appreciate the amenities found in any of the 6 locker rooms or 4 dressing rooms. The Nuggets and Avalanche locker rooms required special fixture installations due to the player's extraordinary size. The notable heights of basketball players, required showerheads to be installed at 8' heights and deeper hot tubs required special plumbing fabrications.

The installation of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs and hydrotherapy tubs all required precise coordination and fabrication. In order to maintain the accelerated schedule, piping for the plumbing fixture installations were pre-fabricated at our Denver based shop in up to 50' lengths, then delivered to the site and installed in the field. Two 30 ton hot water heaters containing 6,800 gallons of water were installed to handle the facilities hot water needs. Plumbing & gas piping were installed for 17 concession stands, a club restaurant, a 9,000 sq. ft. commissary and the various portable beer & concession stands.

Twelve beverage conduits, strategically stacked were custom designed and installed to carry beverages quickly and efficiently from bulk storage in the lower level through the floors and ceilings to each concession stand. Providing the heating and cooling system for such a massive, open building calls for extra large industrial HVAC equipment, piping and ductwork. The oval shape of the building required the custom design and installation of special fittings to enable the hot and cold water piping system loops to circle the building. Fittings are usually installed in 45, 90 & 180 degree angles and make square turns, but the geometric shape of the Pepsi Center required us to fabricate and install fittings providing 18 and 27 degree angles.

The tiny mechanical room holds two 850 ton chillers & three boilers totaling 46,000 MBH, which required extensive coordination & mechanical engineering efforts to install. Twelve air handling units totaling 724,000 CFM & 735,000 pounds of HVAC ductwork are also installed to distribute heating or cool air throughout the building. To install these air handlers in partially enclosed rooms on the 2nd level, each AHU was shipped in predetermined sections weighing up to 8,000 lbs. specifically sized to fit in access hatches located on the side of the building. After being air lifted, each AHU was assembled then ducted throughout the building.

ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY BACKGROUND

This facility is privately owned and operated, with partners such as Pepsi, Coors, Conoco, Qwest, and The Denver Post.

OBJECTIVES

The Pepsi Center was created as one of the very few sports venues in North America to provide a separate practice facility for its team. The Denver Nuggets, a local NBA team, utilized the basketball court for all practice sessions.

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS

Contaminated soils were found during the underground pipe excavations. Therefore, special haz-mat training and precautionary measures for soil preparations and removal were required. During excavation for this pipe, the crews worked 14 feet deep in trench boxes. They managed one major challenge that occurred as they inched along the underground trench installing pipe. As they progressed, the unstable soil would collapse behind them burying
the pipe.

The accelerated schedule required the walls of the mechanical rooms be built prior to the delivery of the large mechanical equipment. Trautman & Shreve, Inc. implemented specially
designed setting, rigging and assembling procedures to move and install the large equipment in the already constructed rooms.

CLIENT:
Kroenke Sports Enterprise

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
M.A. Mortenson Company

ARCHITECT:
HOK Sports Facilities

ENGINEER:
M-E Engineers

PROJECT DURATION:
18 months

		New Construction
		Retrofit
		Electrical Construction
		Mechanical Construction
		Facilities Services
		Consulting Services
		HVAC Services
		Energy Solutions