Refinery Optimization Center

Oil & Gas | California, USA

A multi-year facility-siting analysis was required to build this low-level blast resistant control building for this major petrochemical company. The goal was to centralize and consolidate control systems, to control costs and realize new efficiencies. The result was at once a showpiece, and a solid return on investment for the client.

This control building was designed to accommodate only those people considered critical to the operations of the plant on a day-to-day basis. Twelve custom consoles feature state-of-the-art ergonomics, and the room was engineered to keep decibel levels down to less than 35 dBs. An architectural and design showpiece, with 40 people in the room it’s still as quiet as a library.

A training simulator is located adjacent the main control area, and a situation room has direct line-of-sight to the control room. A nearby exercise room provides an opportunity to energize, along with 2 alertness recovery rooms to rest providing a quiet sanctuary for countering fatigue.

Though built for low-level blast resistance, the building nonetheless features windows in the office area that stream natural light through special laminated security glass.

Client

We respect the confidentiality of this client

Size

38,000 sf / 3530.3 sm

Market

Oil & Gas

Location

California, USA

Date

2012 | Built

Services

Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment
Life Safety
Mechanical Engineering
Electrial Engineering
Structural Engineering
Construction Cost Estimating
Blast Resistant Design

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It is a hit! The building has opened to rave reviews. Everyone really enjoys working out of the building. All of your design features are performing as anticipated. The noise level and lighting in the control area is excellent and the openness and natural light in the office area has created a great feel.
Facilities Manager

SAFETY IN DESIGN

Consolidating and streamlining resulted in reduced incident response time. Fatigue counter and alertness recovery measures were a departure from traditional ways. A place to nap may not sound revolutionary, but BAW Architecture was thinking way out of the box at the time, applying research principles that showed alertness dramatically increased following short periods of sleep.

BLAST RESISTANCE

BAW designed for low-level structural response for a 1.5 PSI, 50 M-SEC. This “inside the fence” was also built to withstand high-level seismic forces.