As Chief Mechanical Engineer for Haskell, Matt Ford is responsible for ensuring that the systems supporting facility operations – such as utilities, heating and cooling and plumbing – are effective, efficient and enduring. That requires both foresight and ongoing engagement throughout design and construction.
Haskell is structured to provide precisely that.
“We have a vertically integrated organization, and our disciplines span across all of our business units,” Ford said. “The chief role I have is to primarily look horizontally across all the business units and see how we can effectively integrate this expertise at the beginning of a project.”
As such, Haskell Mechanical works hand-in-hand with the broader project team, including architects, engineers across the disciplines, and construction professionals, to craft solutions that will drive greater efficiencies during the project lifecycle and into the finished facility’s everyday operations.
The integrated approach brings all relevant disciplines into the process from the beginning. Project owners benefit from Haskell’s ability to internally manage all variables, freeing them of juggling numerous vendor relationships and basing decisions on competing counsel and allowing them to view their project more holistically.
Haskell Mechanical guides designers and planners early and often in the process, saving time and money. For instance, when his team coordinates with structural engineers on a framing concept for a mechanical room or HVAC system, it can help accommodate electrical needs from conception and avoid costly clashes later, in the design detail or construction phases.
This type of strategic coordination and engagement streamlines the overall process, compresses the overall schedule and allows for the fastest possible project delivery.
“From the global perspective, Haskell is speed,” Ford said. “That translates into faster dollars for the client because if they can get a sellable product out the door six months faster, that’s six months of profit they never had.”
A deep well of institutional knowledge also optimizes speed to market. Haskell Mechanical features a team of more than 50 that draws from diverse expertise and skillsets.
Team members remain aware of the latest industry trends and offer innovative solutions. For instance, current control systems that regulate a facility’s indoor environment can lower energy costs and minimize their environmental footprints.
Ford and his team recently implemented innovative technology in manufacturing building project that could function inside a private 5G cellular network designed exclusively for the facility, ensuring reliable management of various building systems, such as HVAC. Cellular cards at individual units, such as air handlers or pumps, collect performance data that inform facility operators of even the slightest of variations.
“You have just massive amounts of historical data being collected that show you what the temperature does in this room or that room, if it’s going up or down,” Ford said. “It gives us the ability to see if there is a weird anomaly at 2 a.m., like a spike of usage in the facility, and we are able to go in and address it.”
The same project also saw Haskell Mechanical take advantage of lower energy costs overnight by utilizing an ice storage system that would create ice within the storage tanks and then slowly melt the ice to be used during the daytime within air cooling units, saving money and boosting efficiency.
Such is the technical expertise that yields results, allowing Haskell Mechanical to deliver innovative solutions with certainty.
