Leopardo Energy (LE) played a pivotal role in transforming an existing office space into a modern dental suite, delivering a seamless renovation over a six-week design phase and six-month construction period. As a subconsultant to an architectural partner, LE provided expert design consulting services for HVAC, electrical (lighting, power, and data), plumbing, and performance-based fire protection systems. Through meticulous planning and innovative design, LE ensured the project was completed on time and within budget, meeting all functional and regulatory requirements with precision.

Condensing Unit Fitment

• Challenge: The original design had shown a 2-ton condensing unit located above ceiling rejecting warm-air to the open air plenum space.
• Response: The contractor proposed increasing the quantity of split systems to two (2) in order to create physical fitment and match the tonnage as designed. Mechanical and electrical engineers evaluated these options, and spoke to the owner on their preference in the situation. The owner was not wanting to add more equipment. The engineer elected to downsize the as designed split system, but increase the VAV box flow to supplement the tonnage needs.
• Outcome: The issue was resolved in 5 business days, demonstrating efficient coordination between the contractor, engineers, and owner to address a costly item.
• Key Takeaway: Effective communication, brainstorming and tailoring a solution that checked all the boxes.

Building Meter Center Capacity

• Challenge: Nuvia dental equipment had more electrical load density than the typical commercial office space of this size.
• Response: Engineer traced back the feeders in the space to their point of origin to figure out options. The existing meter center serving the different tenants in the building didn’t have any available sections of the size needed for all the Nuvia equipment. After confirming with the owner, bringing in 2 separate smaller feeds from the meter center to the Nuvia space ended up being a cost-effective solution and added redundancy to their space.
• Outcome: The issue was resolved in 2 business days, including drawing revisions, and didn’t increase cost or affect additional space within the building outside of the client’s scope.
• Key Takeaway: Effective communication between the contractor and engineers, paired with quick design revisions, mitigated the impact of the unforeseen site condition.

General Observations:

• Both challenges underscore the importance of communication and rapid response mechanisms in construction projects, especially in occupied spaces where full access during the design phase is limited.
• The durations (2 and 5 business days) reflect a streamlined process, likely supported by strong collaboration among contractors, engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Common strategies included contractor-initiated suggestions, on-site verification (e.g., metering, condition clarification), and engineering-driven recommendations, ensuring solutions were practical and compliant.