Avanza 490, San Francisco, CA

Category: Mid-Rise Residential

Square Footage: 80,624 sq ft

Services Provided: HVAC engineering

Completion Date: February, 2021

Owner: Mission Housing Development

Corporation Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects

General Contractor: Nibbi Brothers

Mechanical Contractor: Bay City Mechanical

This affordable housing project presented significant challenges from an HVAC design perspective because maintaining a low-cost installation was a major priority for this project’s success. Taking inspiration from Mark Twain who said “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” Pragmatic PE engineered an all-electric, heating only system for these residences. The common areas were served by a variable refrigerant volume (VRF) system which minimized the building’s appetite for natural gas consumption. Pragmatic PE worked with the energy modeling firm to help achieve Title 24 compliance through the performance method in spite of the electrical resistance heating system.

The building height is short for a typical seven-story, multi-use residential building, which was required for cost-cutting. The low floor-to-floor height made negotiating space for ventilation, exhaust, and HVAC components a primary concern. Pragmatic PE modeled all systems in 3D modeling software to make sure all disciplines had room for their distribution without any clashes. By engineering an HVAC design while maintaining a comfortable living environment, Pragmatic PE and the entire design team have created a template for future affordable housing projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.