Newton, NC

Catawba County Animal Shelter

Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering
LEED Fundamental Commissioning
 

In 2013, Catawba County began building a new animal shelter. Its existing facility was built in 1985 and despite multiple renovations that expanded the shelter’s capacity to 102 animals it could no longer keep pace with increasing demand. The new facility, which was dedicated in 2014, more than doubled the capacity and provided a safer and healthier environment for animals and staff. It was also designed to meet LEED standards for energy efficiency to reduce long-term energy costs.

2RW Project Case Study Main Image
Services
  • MEP engineering which included the design of sustainable features that contributed to LEED Silver certification:
    • A geothermal heating and cooling system with 24 geothermal wells that are 440 feet deep. The system conditions all occupied spaces and reduces energy consumption by an estimated 30%.
    • Energy-efficient lighting design the incorporates LEDs and occupancy sensors.
    • Energy-efficient systems that reduce overall water consumption by an estimated 30%.
    • An air cleaning system that eliminates indoor air pollution and kennel odors.
  • Commissioning services in which 2RW identified construction deficiencies that would have had a significant negative impact on building operations. These included duct work that was not connected correctly to the energy recovery ventilator and a non-functional dehumidification control sequence caused by improper heat pump wiring. Left unresolved, these problems would have prevented the building from being properly ventilated and would have caused extremely uncomfortable conditions for animals and staff during humid weather conditions.
Results

This LEED Silver facility was designed to deliver significant energy savings and maintain energy costs at the level of the County’s previous, much-smaller facility.

Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering
LEED Fundamental Commissioning
 

OWNER: Catawba County, NC

TIMEFRAME: 2011 - 2014

SIZE: 17,500 SF

COST: $3.5 million


Certifications
LEED Silver