PES Project Profile

Simon Gratz High School

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Project Details

  • Project Cost: $18.9 million
  • Design Awarded: February 2005
  • Design Completed: June 2005
  • Contract Award: August 2006

  • Scope of Services

    • Mechanical Plant Replacement
    Electric Service Upgrade
    • MEP engineering to support Program Planning
    • Upgrade of school public address, intercom, clock and program systems
    • Telecommunications (voice, data, and video) cabling system upgrade


    Key Services Provided

    • Heating Load Calculations
    • System Optimization
    Energy Modeling
    • MEP Design
    • Construction Administration
    • Commissioning
    • System Operations Advice and Training


Replacement of (4) 600HP Steam Boilers & Associated Equipment & Electric Service Upgrade

The existing facility was served by (4) 600HP boilers that were close to the end of their useful lives. Two boilers had cracked sections and were not in service, and the other two were in poor condition. One of the more challenging aspects we encountered during design was tight location where the boilers were located. The boilers were located in the High School Basement and had no large openings to haul-in the new boilers.

Our solution was to carry out the demolition and replacement of the old boilers in two phases concurrent with the installation of the new boilers. During the first phase we removed the two inoperative boilers and replaced them with new 400HP HB Smith sectional boilers to maintain uninterrupted heating service to the building. The two remaining boilers were replaced with the new boilers in the second phase. The new boilers were brought in sections through an existing combustion air intake opening.

Electrical design included upgrade of 4,160V service to 13,200V and conversion from 2 phase, 5 wire to 3 phase, 4 wire system.


MEP Engineering, Electric Service Upgrade, System Optimization