Pacira AHU 3 & AHU 4 Replacement Project

The Pacira project is undergoing the replacement of two air handlers. A.O. Reed & Co. was awarded the project and is now the general contractor on the Pacira AHU 3 and 4 Replacement Project. This building will host laboratory and office spaces.

A.O. Reed provided and executed vital project solutions to the Pacira client. The client wanted old air handling units to be replaced since they were at the end of their lifespan. Our team also modified the frame that holds the motors within the AHU 3 to ensure the opening on the supply side of the unit is more accessible. A.O. Reed’s contributions on the HVAC side provided a number of renovation tasks. The outside air duct transitions had to get refabrication and reinstalled due to the changes in the size of the openings. The CHWS&R piping to both AHUs had to be removed and replaced due to the increased piping size. Various supply chain issues came about two weeks before the delivery date of the AHUs. This also included the VFDs, the differential pressure sensors, and copper for the coils. Even though this was a challenge, A.O. Reed solved the problem with out-of-the-box thinking. The plumbing scope on the project included installing the condensate drains for AHUs 3 and 4. An interesting piece of this project is that all condensate water is routed to a holding tank, which is pumped into the condensing water loop to be reused.

This project was small but mighty! We organized a crane to lift off the old units and replace them with new ones on February 19th. These units serve critical spaces such as the gowning and de-gowning rooms, material airlock rooms, and storage rooms. All these spaces are critical areas that are integral to pharmaceutical manufacturing and are intended for post-surgery recovery. Pacira is a corporation focused on creating a post-surgery experience that reduces opioid usage and provides less addictive substances to recovering patients.