Central Utility Plant Engineering

Construct Consolidated Boiler Spaces

  • Construct Consolidated Boiler Spaces 1

The Loch Raven VA Medical Center relied on multiple aging boiler systems distributed throughout the campus, creating maintenance challenges and long-term reliability concerns for occupied healthcare facilities. To modernize the campus utility infrastructure, Above Group designed a new centralized boiler plant that replaced outdated satellite systems with a more resilient and efficient heating solution.

The new facility provides heating hot water to multiple campus buildings through upgraded underground distribution infrastructure designed to support continuous healthcare operations. The project also incorporated system redundancy strategies that improved long-term reliability while simplifying maintenance requirements for facility operations staff.

Because the work occurred within an active medical campus, the project required careful coordination around phased utility integration, infrastructure tie-ins, and operational continuity throughout implementation.

Above Group provided mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering services focused on resilient infrastructure, long-term maintainability, and modernized utility systems supporting future healthcare campus operations.

As an SDVOSB engineering firm with extensive VA healthcare experience, Above Group understands the importance of balancing infrastructure modernization with uninterrupted patient care operations.

“[Above Group] consistently delivered excellent design submissions for every milestone on this project. The entire design team was knowledgeable in their respective field and could speak in depth and detail on every aspect of the project they designed.” (Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 5)

Key Engineering Features

  • Centralized boiler plant infrastructure
  • Campus heating hot water distribution systems
  • Underground utility distribution upgrades
  • Heating system redundancy strategies
  • Building automation systems integration
  • Modernized campus utility infrastructure

Project Challenges

  • Maintaining heating service to occupied healthcare facilities
  • Coordinating phased utility infrastructure replacement
  • Integrating new systems into existing campus operations
  • Balancing operational efficiency with long-term maintainability

Results

  • Replacement of aging satellite boiler systems
  • Improved campus heating reliability
  • Reduced maintenance complexity
  • Enhanced energy and operational performance
  • Modernized infrastructure supporting future campus growth

Client
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Location
Loch Raven, Maryland VA Medical Center

Size
5,000 SF