iGrow, Oakland, CA

Category: Industrial Manufacturing

Square Footage: 40,000 sq ft

Services Provided: HVAC, Plumbing/Process Piping

Completion Date: 2019

Owner: iGrow

Architect: Stein Architects

General Contractor: SK Builders

Pragmatic PE took over this design when the original engineered systems could not meet the transient humidity and temperature control constraints during the switch from full light to no light. Starting from scratch and partnering with Inspire Transpiration Solutions, Pragmatic PE re-designed the mechanical systems to recover temperature and humidity control within one minute under sudden transient changes due to lighting. For the Dry Room systems, a system implementing condenser reheat saved energy while maintaining space environment control.

Pragmatic PE implemented water-saving techniques to filter and reuse any water drains from the drip-watering system, cooling tower blowdown, or HVAC condensate. This building-wide reclaim system achieves approximately 40% load penetration of the facility water needs of watering, humidification, and cooling tower makeup.

Pragmatic PE also worked with the fire alarm contractor and the City of Oakland to design a controls system that would ensure occupant safety within the rooms where carbon dioxide was dispersed for optimal plant growth.