Austin Resource Center for the Homeless – City of Austin

Encotech Engineering provided HVAC, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for this three-level, 26,820 s.f. resource center and shelter for the homeless in downtown Austin. The shelter includes a medical clinic, art room, shower facility, offices, and an overnight facility.

The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless was one of the first buildings in Austin to be designed and constructed in accordance with the United States Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System, achieving LEED® Silver Certification. The facility included a 13,000 gallon rain water collection system involving a manifold tank system which supplemented the non-potable water supply for the building. Other systems which Encotech designed for the building include a passive solar hot water system which pre-heats water for the showers, a filtration and distribution system, a ventilation air energy recovery system, and a solar photovoltaic electrical collection system. Encotech coordinated extensively with Austin Energy to include a transformer vault as an integral part of this building.

All HVAC systems were the latest in high-efficiency design, using chlorine-free R-410a refrigerant. Complex electronic monitoring throughout the building allowed the system to be tuned for environmental comfort and ensured minimal usage of electrical energy.

Project Challenges

• Designed to LEED® Silver Certification standards
• Designed to support over a dozen different agencies that inhabit the building
• Designed for wide variation of building uses, including medical, residential, and educational