DBR Engineering worked with Michael Hsu Office of Architecture on a five-story mixed-use development in Houston’s Uptown area, near the Galleria. The 112,000 square foot building is now home to Zadok Jewelers’ new showroom, where they moved into a 26,000 square foot space.
DBR Engineering worked with Corgan Associates to provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services for a new STEM and CTE addition at Dripping Springs High School. We also provided technology consulting and building systems commissioning services.
DBR Engineering worked alongside Shepley Bulfinch and Hoar Construction to provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design services for a new luxury apartment community in The Woodlands, Texas.
Montrose Collective is new Mixed-Use development located just west of downtown Houston in the eccentric Montrose District. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture led the design team with DBR playing the role of MEP engineer for this project, which was developed by Radom Capital.
Getting the energy modeling right starts with choosing the right platform and associated tools. We recently evaluated our energy models and process using cove.tool compared with another common software tool, TRACE 700.
As we have seen over the past several International Code updates, the International Energy Conservation Code has the most significant changes. As is now typical for IECC updates, there are numerous changes to make energy performance requirements more stringent, and some of these will have impacts on construction costs.
If the week of February 15th taught us anything, it is that we are not immune, even in Texas, to severe winter weather. The DBR family around the state had the full spectrum of experiences – from the fortunate few who didn’t lose power or water to those whose homes sustained serious damage. Commercial and educational buildings throughout the state were also impacted. Preparedness for events like this begins at the design stage.
DBR began using BIM 360 Teams in 2016 and since then, the firm has transitioned to BIM 360 Design allowing us to not only have one source of truth for our documents but also allowing us to collaborate live and in real-time with other consultants. BIM 360 Design removes our dependency on local servers and the stress of replicating documents from one server to the other with minimal or no IT assistance.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, below are DBR’s proposed HVAC design measures that will help prevent the spread of viruses and other harmful bacteria. DBR recommends the use of any of the options indicated below based on the owner’s requirement, the facility type, maintenance impact, and cost. Please note that none of these options are proven yet to eliminate the COVID-19 virus.
DBR can employ a multi-tiered design that aims to prevent damage to public and private infrastructure, provide minimal electrical distortion to the network and effectively suppress or redirect surges and spikes in the electricity we use. These strategies ultimately increase the life span of equipment, result in fewer internal failures and result in more reliable and efficient use of power.