Development of a new, self-supporting, multi-use compound with all mission operations support facilities within a secure perimeter. The 15-acre compound encompassed construction of 36 buildings including residential, dining, medical, dog kennel, training and recreational areas, laundry, multiple warehouses, and other facilities. As Fire Protection Designer of Record, Rhino developed the fire protection infrastructure for the compound as well as designs for each facility.

Housing is provided via prefabricated Containerized Housing Units (CHUs) stacked three stories high with unheated exterior corridors. Rhino routed fire protection water piping to all sleeping units by interconnecting heated areas with sections of underground piping to bypass unheated areas, and thus protect the piping runs from freezing. We also minimized the number of valves and piping for an economical and simple system installation.

The Pollock Residence complex is comprised of nine high-rise student residence buildings with pipe tunnels to Pollock Commons, a 3-story facility that provides dining facilities, lounge areas, and administrative space for the Residence complex. The extremely fast-track project encompassed various upgrades and modifications, and was conducted in four phases over the course of two years. Construction was restricted to 13 weeks during each summer when fewer students were in residence. Phase 1 encompassed renovation of the Football Team Cafeteria, on a further compressed schedule.

Rhino’s value engineering: The project MEP dictated that the existing water service was insufficient to supply the new sprinkler system, and that a new larger service was required. Our engineers were able to demonstrate that the existing service was indeed sufficient through design and calculations, thereby saving the University approximately $200,000 in trenching costs alone.