UCSD SIO Marine Conservation & Technology Facility

The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Marine Conservation and Technology Facility is dedicated to research, discovery, and education in the field of marine biodiversity and conservation.

Coffman is the mechanical and plumbing engineer of record for the new 27,000 sf seawater research laboratory, experimental aquarium, and mixed-use educational facility to be installed within the existing Fisheries Building. The challenges of this project were routing the infrastructure needed to support the lab requirements within the limited space in the existing building, and staying within budgetary constraints.

As the mechanical engineer of record, Coffman coordinated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) to determine the available seawater capacity allocated to the building, and the drainage and filtration requirements. Using those requirements, the team designed the controls strategy for simultaneously maintaining three different temperature seawater systems and redundant support systems.