Port Support Buildings:
Keeping Global Trade Humming
Q & A W I T H M E C H A N I C A L E N G I N E E R C I N D Y C A L L AWAY
Ports are a critically important nexus of world trade
that require extensive administration, maintenance,
and emergency services support. Workers depend
on a network of port facilities to meet the demands
of daily port operations, so it’s essential that these
buildings are functional and resilient. P2S Senior
Mechanical Engineer, Cindy Callaway, has decades
of experience designing MEP systems for port
buildings. We had a brief chat to discuss her port
projects and how they support everyday operations
at the San Pedro Bay ports.
What type of facilities have you designed at ports?
Cindy Callaway: I’ve worked on the Port of Long
Beach’s (POLB) Automated Vehicle Battery Exchange
Building at Pier E and Fireboat Stations 15 and 20,
also at the Port of Long Beach. At the Port of Los
Angeles (POLA), I’ve worked on the renovation of the
port’s Administration Building, which is not actually
in the port but very close, it’s port adjacent in San
Pedro.
The battery exchange building is complete; it’s a
really cool facility that a lot of people in the industry
are monitoring to see how it goes. Fireboat Station
15 is currently under construction; it’s a year in and
about halfway done. Bids have just been placed
for Fireboat Station 20. That project will probably
be in construction within the next four months,
and the whole thing will take two years. The POLA
Administration building was put on hold and then
restarted with an expanded scope, we’ve gotten
through plan check for the expanded scope, and
I think they expect bids sometime in mid-2020.
The renovation will happen with the building fully
occupied and operational, with construction taking
place at nights and other periods when staff is not
onsite.
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What’s the Port of Los Angeles’ goal for the Admin
Building renovation?
CC: They have a couple of different goals in mind.
It’s a major HVAC renovation of an office building
built in the late 70s and early 80s, and it’s hit
the end of its anticipated useful life. The HVAC
systems need upgrading to improve operational
reliability and energy efficiency. We’re also
replacing pneumatic zone controls to Direct Digital
Controls (DDC), replacing VAV (variable air volume)
boxes, and refurbishing a direct expansion (DX) air
handler. As a result of loads changing, we’re also
replacing some of their heating hot water piping and
designing a small chiller plant. The building is about
a 100,000 SF and is 5-stories, and the renovation is
projected to cost about $7 million.
Why are more Fireboat Stations necessary at the
Port of Long Beach?
CC: The City of Long Beach recently got new
fireboats, and let’s just say that currently, the port
does not have the docks that the city would like for
the fireboats. The boats are currently located at
temporary docks. The stations were supposed to
be built before the boats arrived, but now they’re
awaiting the completion of these new stations.
What unique considerations did you have to
consider when designing systems for the stations?
CC: Fireboat stations are even more unique than fire
stations, which are already pretty unique buildings.
These stations have boat bays, which help increase
the longevity of the boats. The bays are three-sided
enclosures for the boat, essentially like a carport but
for boats, a “boatport”. At Fireboat Station 20, it’s
pretty much just the enclosure for the boat, there’s
a workbench and a sink, but there aren’t a lot of
utilities. In the case of Fireboat Station 15, because