WSP Flack + Kurtz completes MEP and security work on Barclays Center; Brooklyn project developed by Forest City Tatner

WSP Flack + Kurtz, an international engineering firm, has completed work as the MEP and security systems engineering firm for Barclays Center, the new multi-purpose arena, where the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets are playing this season. "It was a pleasure working with Forest City Ratner on this incredibly fantastic project that we have been working on since 2003," said John Bredehorst, managing director of WSP Flack + Kurtz's New York office. "Forest City Ratner is such an innovative, forward thinking company when it comes to development and creative delivery methods, and they were the driving force that made this project happen. Our entire team has anticipated this elusive day of opening for a long time. Finally, it is here and we are all very proud of how great this facility has turned out." "This has been a wonderful assignment for us - and a challenging one," said David Cooper, president of WSP Flack + Kurtz. "The arena was built in the heart of Brooklyn, over an infrastructure that was never designed for such a project. Not only was it necessary to build around the existing utilities in the ground (both the subways and a Long Island Railroad rail yard), but we had to insure that the extensive sewer and storm systems would not tax the existing infrastructure." Among the notable MEP features of the site engineered by WSP Flack + Kurtz are: * An efficient air handling system that provides ventilation and conditioning for up to 19,000 fans at concerts and other events. * A 2,700-ton capacity electric chiller plant that is right sized for the dynamic load profile of each event, coinciding with the time of year each event takes place. * A 100% air side economizer system that provides free cooling for most of the year, with heat recovery systems to pre-heat and pre-cool the outside air required for ventilation for the arena occupants. * A demand control ventilation system that limits the conditioning of the outside air to that amount required for the number of occupants, rather than the volume of the arena when it is not fully occupied, thereby saving energy. * High-efficiency gas-fired domestic hot water heaters that provide hot water for the entire arena, including showers, kitchens and hydrotherapy equipment. * A ten-MVA-capacity electric service supplied by Con Edison, configured in a second contingency arrangement. * A programmable relay-based lighting control system that is integrated with the arena occupancy and BMS system to control 100% of the lights inside and on the exterior of the building. * An underground storm water storage system that collects and retains over 400,000 gallons of storm water from the entire site, with a complex discharge system to control the release of storm water to the existing combined sewer outflow infrastructure. * Waterless urinals and low-flow, automatic plumbing fixtures to conserve potable water. The developer is pursuing LEED Silver certification for the project. Barclays Center broke ground March 11, 2010, and opened on September 28. WSP Flack + Kurtz was hired in 2003, initially with architect Frank Gehry and then, after Gehry's firm was replaced, with architects Ellerbe Becket. The structural engineer is Thornton Tomasetti, and the general contractor is Hunt Construction Group. WSP Flack + Kurtz is a multi-faceted engineering firm that has completed significant projects with internationally acclaimed architects for the world's largest corporations, developers and institutions. The firm's services include mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, security, information technology, architectural lighting design, and commissioning. WSP Flack + Kurtz's 500 professionals, 135 of whom are LEED accredited, are based in offices in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Houston, and Washington, D.C. The firm also has worldwide capabilities as an integral part of the WSP Group, a 9,000-person multi-disciplinary international engineering consultancy headquartered in London, with offices spanning 35 countries. For more information, please see www.wspfk.com and www.wspgroup.com. ### 11/8/12