Waterloo MEP

DPS Law Enforcement Academy & Training Center

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:12:25 +0000

The new Texas Department of Public Safety Law Enforcement Academy is envisioned as a nationally leading training facility designed to support the evolving needs of state and partner law enforcement agencies. Located on a 135-acre site in Williamson County, the purpose-built campus is planned to accommodate intensive, simultaneous training for up to 400 trooper trainees, significantly expanding the capacity and capabilities of the existing DPS academy.

The campus is organized to support a wide range of instructional, operational, and residential functions. Major facilities include an administration and classroom building, two dormitories, a dining hall, an endurance training center, and a warehouse. The planning and design required careful space programming, budgeting, and phasing to ensure functional adjacencies, efficient operations, and long-term flexibility as training demands evolve.

Extensive site and infrastructure systems were integrated to support a self-sufficient campus environment. These include Fortitude Field, a dedicated track and fitness area, surface parking, a central utility plant, water treatment and pump facilities, and stormwater detention and water-quality basins. Coordination of civil and MEP infrastructure across the campus was critical to supporting operational reliability and future growth. MEP designed a new 2,190-ton chiller with planned expanded capacity to 3650-tons. The initial stage supports six buildings with an expandable capacity of nine more for 15 total buildings supported by the CUP.

Project Title: Texas DPS Law Enforcement Academy & Training Center

Project Location: Florence, Texas

Owner: Texas Facilities Commission

Project Size: 363,000 SF

Total Project Cost: Est. $310,000,000

Architect: Marmon Mok Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Camp Hubbard Renewal

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 18:28:46 +0000

The approved five-phase master plan completed before construction of the new DMV replacement office building includes the demolition of four existing buildings, construction of a new office building, and renovation of an existing five-story office building to support TxDMV’s current and future operational needs. This phased approach allows continued campus operations while accommodating demolition, new construction, and the renovation of an existing five-story office building to meet TxDMV’s current and future workspace needs.

The new 144,000-square-foot office building will consolidate 12 of TxDMV’s 14 divisions. The proposed structure is organized in an approximately three-story Z-shaped configuration, with a one-story warehouse component along the south side. The first floor accommodates major employee and public-facing amenities, including dining services, wellness and fitness facilities, a large board hearing room, and public lobby functions. The second and third floors provide large, flexible office floor plates in the northeast and southwest wings, shared meeting rooms, support spaces, and amenities centrally located. The existing five-story, 110,000-square-foot Camp Hubbard Building 6 will permanently house the remaining two TxDMV divisions, representing approximately 275 employees.

The new office’s MEP design considerations included a new 1,200-ton chiller that supports the two buildings on the campus. Waterloo|MEP designed a system with a heat pump chiller for hot water instead of a boiler as an energy-saving consideration.

Project Title: Texas DMV Camp Hubbard Renewal

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: Texas Facilities Commission

Project Size: 144,000 SF New Construction; 110,000 SF Renovation

Total Project Cost: Est. $126,000,000

Architect: Marmon Mok Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

UT-Austin – Norman Hackerman Cold Room Addition

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 23:07:11 +0000

This project included the addition of two cold rooms to the Norman Hackerman building, which is located at the University of Texas in Austin. The Hackerman building houses both organic chemistry research labs and neuroscience research labs, a vivarium, and a host of other facilities. The cold labs were installed for the benefit of the Bio-sciences research department. The project tasks were designing the interior plumbing as well as the power in support of the cold rooms.

Project Title: Norman Hackerman Cold Room Addition

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: The University of Texas at Austin

Project Size: —

Total Project Cost: —

Architect: Taniguchi Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

Southwest Research Institute 264 Alternative Fuels Lab

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 23:06:39 +0000

The design of this new 35,000 square foot building, with 8,000 square foot mezzanine on the campus of the world-renowned Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas included several special electrical requirements, 10 different lab gasses including vacuum and lab air, fume hood / lab exhaust requirements and gas detection and alarm systems. The building’s central plant included two 230-ton water-cooled chillers, cooling tower, seven MMBtu boiler, process water chiller, and a central compressed air system. Lab air was controlled by a Phoenix valve system and lab exhaust fans with specially coated, corrosion resistant exhaust duct.

Project Title: Southwest Research Institute Building 264

Project Location: San Antonio, Texas

Owner: Southwest Research Institute

Project Size: 35,000 SF

Total Project Cost: $7,800,000

Architect: Durand-Hollis Rupe Architects, Inc.

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

Southwest Research Institute Building 168 Laboratory and Office Addition

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 23:05:58 +0000

This project included designing a four-story laboratory and office addition to an existing electronics research facility on the campus of the world-renowned Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The new addition included offices, electronics laboratories, Secret Compartmentalized Information Facility (SCIF) labs and support areas.

The HVAC scope included replacement of the existing central plant with a new plant to serve both the new addition and the existing building; the new plant included water cooled chillers and gas fired hot water boilers.

Project Title: SwRI Building 168 Laboratory and Office Addition

Project Location: San Antonio, Texas

Owner: Southwest Research Institute

Project Size: 54,000 SF

Total Project Cost: $11,000,000

Architect: DHR Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

UT-Austin – Flemings Lab & Tisato Lab Renovation

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 23:04:52 +0000

Originally opening in 1967, the Jackson Geological Sciences Building on the University of Texas Austin campus is home to one of the oldest geosciences departments in the country. This project included design services to upgrade both the Flemings and Tisato labs, in a multi-phase project.

Phase I included:
• Wet and dry labs to support geosciences research
• Phoenix venturi exhaust and supply equipment for precise air change rates
• Analysis & workshop for preparation of geosciences samples

Phase II included:
• Cold room to maintain 4 degrees Celsius environment
• Cold room was specifically designed to store sensitive undersea core samples housed in pressurized storage vessels
• A methane detection and emergency exhaust system
• Primary and backup power provisions
• New dedicated process cooling systems including process cooling, heat exchangers and circulation pumps

Project Title: Jackson Geological Building Flemings Lab & Tisato Lab Renovation

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: University of Texas at Austin

Project Size: —

Total Project Cost: —

Architect: Parsons Environmental & Infrastructure Group, Inc.

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering

UT-MSI – Main Wet/Dry Laboratory HVAC Renewal

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 23:04:14 +0000

Originally constructed in 1971, the Main Wet/Dry Lab Building (S13) serves as the primary research facility on the UT Marine Science Institute campus. The scope included installation of seven air handling units (60,900 CFM total), five laboratory exhaust fans (37,000 CFM total), three heating water boilers, two heating water pumps, two condenser water pumps, and three instantaneous, gas-fired domestic water heaters. The chemical fume hood and laboratory exhaust system was completely reengineered into a manifolded system with airflow-tracking supply and exhaust valves to comply with NFPA 45. The existing steam boiler system was replaced with a hydronic heating water design for easier maintenance and tighter temperature and humidity conditions. New DDC controls were installed, along with a new central plant refrigeration exhaust system. Construction was interrupted in late August 2017 by the nearby landfall of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, resulting in the additional replacement of two existing cooling towers.

Project Title: Main Wet/Dry Laboratory HVAC Renewal

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: The University of Texas

Project Size: 48,020 SF

Total Project Cost: $5,663,000

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing

Lake Travis ISD Lake Travis Middle School

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 22:55:57 +0000

This project included a new $50 million middle school in Spicewood, Texas. This two-story 221,000 square foot building features an open central rotunda, cafeteria, library, stage, and administration area. The athletic amenities include four tennis courts, a practice field, a football stadium, a track, and two gymnasiums. The school is built into an extremely sloped elevation, creating a challenging project design for the team. The engineering team was responsible for the HVAC systems design, including ultra high-efficiency ground-coupled, geothermal heat pumps serving all classroom/teaching areas. Also designed and specified by the team were all aspects of the geothermal well field and heat pump piping located onsite as well as the first generation LED lighting system, football field lighting, and the design of a rainwater collection system.

Project Title: Lake Travis Middle School

Project Location: Spicewood, Texas

Owner: Lake Travis Independence School District

Project Size: 221,000 SF

Total Project Cost: $50,000,000

Architect: Fields & Associates Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, & Geothermal Engineering

Lake Travis ISD Bee Cave Middle School

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 22:55:22 +0000

Lake Travis ISD Bee Cave Middle School is a newly constructed 240,000 square foot facility located in Austin, Texas. This $67.7 million school, designed by Fields & Associates Architects, was opened to its inaugural class of students in August 2019. With a window encased rotunda at its center, Bee Caves Middle School has an arts wing with a band hall, practice rooms, dance studio, as well as a multipurpose auditorium/cafeteria. The athletics department offers a competition gym, weight room, a football field alongside a practice field, as well as tennis courts. There are common areas throughout the school designed for collaborative group work or solitary studying. For the HVAC systems, the engineers designed 350-tons of geothermal ground-source heat pumps for classroom areas, and 280-tons of chilled water units for common areas and ventilation systems. Efficient LED lighting was designed and installed throughout the school.

Project Title: Bee Cave Middle School

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: Lake Travis Independent School District

Project Size: 240,000 SF

Total Project Cost: $67,797,000

Architect: Fields & Associates Architects

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, & Geothermal Engineering

Round Rock ISD Elsa England Elementary School

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 22:54:46 +0000

This newly constructed elementary school, includes 52 classrooms, art room, computer lab, music, special-ed rooms, and administrative areas. Common areas include common teaching areas, gymnasium, cafeteria, library/resource center, and kitchen. This project also includes a stand alone central plant sized to provide chilled water to both the elementary school and a future middle school.

HVAC for classroom areas is provided by rooftop multi-zone air handling units, equipped with total energy recovery wheels, chilled water coils, and gas-fired furnaces. Packaged DX rooftop units serve most common areas. Dedicated outside air to common areas is provided by a heat recovery unit equipped with total energy recovery wheels and chilled water cooling coils. Phase 1 of the stand-alone central plant featured two 295-ton high efficiency magnetic bearing, oil-free water-cooled centrifugal chillers and cross-flow, induced draft cooling towers. DDC controls provide for operation of all HVAC and lighting systems and are integrated with the district’s central energy management system.

Electrical systems include lighting and power distribution systems for 480/277 volt service and rough-in for data and communications. Design of new exterior site security and parking lot lighting was also included.

This project was designed to achieve a LEED Gold Rating.

Project Title: Elsa England Elementary School

Project Location: Austin, Texas

Owner: Round Rock Independent School District

Project Size: 117,000 SF

Total Project Cost: $24,000,000

Architect: BLGY Architecture

Services Provided: Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing Engineering & LEED Administration

Sustainability Goal: Designed for LEED Gold