Pfizer CB-10 Building | San Diego, CA

The Pfizer CB-10 building in San Diego required air handling improvements for a new laboratory and vivarium, making this a critical application project by nature. In addition, the job needed to be completed within a very short period, meaning that lead times and scheduling were also critical.

The existing air handling units consisted of single fan and motor assemblies, representing a great risk for the future critical lab space due to lack of redundancy. If either the fan failed, thousands of dollars invested in materials and research would be lost.

Therefore, the fans needed to be replaced with a solution that not only could provide redundancy but also reduce operating costs.  However, access to the existing air handling units was difficult, because they were located within the building core, which offered a risky rig path and challenging installation.

The Q-PAC fan array system helped Vertical Systems to successfully meet the project’s goals and eliminate fan failure risks by putting an end to the single point of failure issue created by the existing fan and motor assemblies. In a multiple fan design, if one of them fails, the others can temporarily accommodate the load to satisfy the requirements.

Q-PAC also made rigging easy, because all components weighed less than 100 lbs each and could fit through a single doorway. With small and light components, the installation was quick, helping the contractor save time, labor, and handle the critical schedule without concern.

The new fan system provided redundancy, increased energy efficiency, and minimized maintenance requirements while meeting critical project deadlines and installation challenges.