The Edward R. Roybal Comprehensive Health Center has provided outpatient, primary and specialty care to adult and pediatric patients in the East Los Angeles community since 1979. When South Coast Facility Services (SCFS), a full-service mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractor, was selected to install an upgraded chiller and boiler system on the medical center’s rooftop mechanical room, they made it a priority to ensure minimal disruption to daily operation. SCFS partnered with Victaulic’s Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) team to minimize risk, optimize mechanical room design and maximize installation efficiency from start to finish.

The Victaulic VDC team performed a laser scan of the small mechanical room to capture the existing conditions and create a comprehensive 3D BIM model. During the BIM process, SCFS and Victaulic identified opportunities to downsize piping and optimize equipment placement, ensuring that there would be no clashes requiring in-field correction. Once the design was finalized and approved, Victaulic generated comprehensive shop drawings and a bill of materials for the SCFS fabrication shop to begin preparing grooved pipe immediately. Victaulic also coordinated the early delivery of all grooved products to the shop to ensure SCFS could crane lift all materials onto the roof during two major shutdown days.

SCFS used Victaulic couplings, fittings and valves to connect the 6” and down piping in the chiller and boiler system. By installing Victaulic headers and vibration isolation pump drops, the contractor was also able to reduce the number of joints in the shop and field.

Victaulic provided a one-stop-shop solution that enabled SCFS to achieve outstanding results on the retrofit project. Collaborating with Victaulic’s VDC team granted the contractor improved control over the design and installation process. Meanwhile, Victaulic’s easy- and quick-to-install grooved pipe-joining solutions helped keep the schedule on track.

The medical center’s new energy-efficient system will be particularly valuable in California’s summer months when energy costs are high and elevated usage strains the electric grid, often leading to blackouts. SCFS completed the installation on schedule and commissioned the system in 2021.