Engineering - Salas O'Brien

Fuel cells can save energy costs under right conditions

Producing energy can take a lot of, well, energy. A conventional internal combustion engine generator must first convert chemical energy to thermal energy via combustion, thermal energy to mechanical energy via a turbine, and finally mechanical energy to electricity through an alternator. Fuel cells save energy by cutting out the middle steps. Natural gas can […]

How Salas O’Brien Saved This City $50,000 Per Year

Salas O’Brien’s landfill client in Akron, Ohio, installed a landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) system that, combined with the anaerobic digester at a nearby composting plant, provides 95% of the two plants’ energy needs and saves the city $50,000 in utility costs each year. Here’s some background on this important technology. The US EPA’s latest report on […]

Engineering McDonald’s New Corporate Headquarters and Hamburger University

This past week, we welcomed the WMA Consulting Engineers to the Salas O’Brien family. WMA’s outstanding work, commitment to sustainability, and reputation for reliability make them an ideal addition to our team. One example of the team’s impressive work is the McDonald’s Corporation Headquarters, built in 2018 in Chicago’s West Loop. McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook […]

Designing for the Good of Our Communities, One Fire Station at a Time

Salas O’Brien believes in supporting local communities through good design, and that’s why we’ve helped design many fire stations across North America, ensuring that these local heroes have safe, energy-efficient buildings that pay special attention to critical design elements such as generators, breathing air compressor systems, spaces for practice drills, exhaust and fume detection systems, […]

Old Meets New: Preserving the History of Buildings During Massive Renovations

For many commercial, retail, and hospitality venues in historic districts, “old” can be preferable—even premium. Some popular historic districts even put regulations in place to ensure buildings on their prime real estate maintain the historic charm that put them on the map. But historical renovations come with unique challenges. Often, these projects aim to accommodate […]

Interview: Partnering with the US Military

Salas O’Brien has for many years partnered with our government and military to improve infrastructure and serve our men and women in uniform. And it’s no surprise that our office in San Diego has an especially deep and long-standing portfolio in engineering and commissioning for the military. In this brief interview, Farzad Tadayon, Managing Principal in […]

Salas O’Brien Named a 2018 Commissioning Giant

Salas O’Brien has once again been named to Consulting-Specifying Engineer‘s list of Commissioning Giants. The award is based on annual billings and includes firms performing all types of commissioning around the world.

Interview: Engineering for High-Speed Tolling

Salas O’Brien’s new Orlando office has unique capabilities in engineering for high-speed tolling. Here, Adam Levine, Principal, shares details on what exactly these projects entail and why he loves working on them. How long have you been doing high-speed tolling projects? This office has been doing high-speed tolling projects for more than 20 years. I’ve […]

Saving Energy & Advancing Careers at Alief ISD

At Salas O’Brien, our commitment to community-building means that we love contributing to education projects. That’s why we were especially excited to attend last week’s ribbon-cutting at the Center for Advanced Careers in Houston’s Alief ISD. The 235,000-square-foot school can accommodate up to 2,500 students receiving training in areas as diverse as veterinary science, manufacturing, […]

Interview: Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Solutions in Automation and Controls Retrofit

Without extensive prior documentation, there’s no way to know what obstacles may arise in complex retrofit projects. Salas O’Brien’s automation and controls team knows this better than most, and our insight and experience can help you plan for the best and prepare for the worst in your upcoming retrofit projects. In this short interview, automation […]

From Energy Audits to Energy Savings: ROI through Chilled Water and More

Coming out of a summer of record-breaking heat waves, many property owners and developers are taking a fresh look at the high energy costs that come with keeping things cool. AC can take a major toll on the bottom line during steamy summer months, but Salas O’Brien can help you maintain a comfortable atmosphere while […]

Supporting Great Corporate Culture with MEP Engineering at McCoy’s

At Salas O’Brien, we love supporting companies that are locally grown but have a big regional impact and share our ethos for hard work and integrity. McCoy’s Building Supply is just such a company, and we were thrilled to partner with McCoy’s in designing its corporate headquarters. McCoy’s has a rich history in Texas—one that […]

Category: Engineering