Frank Hagel Federal Building

U.S. General Services Administration
Richmond, Ca

Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this design build project that called for upgrading fire alarms, sprinkler systems and life-safety systems in the Frank Hagel Federal Building in Richmond, California. The building was a fully operational, occupied facility which necessitated that the new alarm systems be fully commissioned prior to the decommissioning of the existing systems.

The two-phase project required asbestos abatement and included removal of the existing acoustical ceiling tiles and modification of the ceiling grids to accept the dimensions of the new acoustical tile replacements. Seismic compression struts were installed along with new lighting fixtures and motion sensors. The scope of work also entailed HVAC reconfiguration, new drywall construction and extension of the existing fire suppression system.

The second phase of the contract called for the fire alarm and suppression system to be upgraded and modified with new sprinklers and included smoke detectors, visible and audible warning devices and a voice evacuation system. The project required extensive electrical engineering capabilities, which Stronghold provided in addition to self-performing all electrical construction requirements.

All work was performed in the occupied building, was completed after hours, with no tenants moving for the project. Each floor was divided into zones, with performance of the work taking place primarily on weekends between 6 p.m. Friday night and the early hours of Monday morning. All demolition work was performed in a negative air contained environment. Minor asbestos abatement was performed, and testing and lab analysis were done before the remainder of the work could continue. The new fire alarm and sprinkler system modifications were coordinated with installation of new ceilings