Harris is excited to join CBE’s industry consortium to collaborate with thought leaders in building systems design, working toward a common goal of supporting building owners, driving design innovation and contributing to sustainable and value driven developments.

Founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, Harris is a leading national mechanical contractor specializing in design and engineering, construction, controls, service, manufacturing, conveyors and end-to-end building systems. Harris’ customers benefit from their national reach, with twelve regional offices that offer local expertise and more than 70 years of experience. From power plants to hospitals, stadiums to concert halls, Harris brings a spirit of creative problem solving and a commitment to excellence in delivery to every project, no matter the size, complexity or location.

Harris is focused on innovation and achieving sustainable, resilient and value-driven building solutions. They take on complex projects, utilize the latest energy-efficient technology and deliver energy-saving solutions. Harris’ Salt Lake City Community College achieved an energy cost reduction of 70% from the ASHRAE baseline through mechanical and lighting systems, controls, a well-insulated envelope and solar photovoltaic panels and was awarded “Most Outstanding Project” by Utah Construction and Design Magazine.

In January 2020, Harris opened the Harris Design Studio located in Oakland, California. The studio has a dedicated team of mechanical designers, building scientists, industry professionals and BIM/VDC modelers who bridge the gap customers often face between design and construction phases. Led by Harris Vice President John Gregory Williams, Harris’ Studio utilizes the latest design tools and practices to deliver, optimize or modify designs for progressive construction. The Studio not only optimizes the sizing, routing and location of equipment and distribution systems, but also ensures that the system controls are correctly applied to meet parameters and criteria including climate, energy performance, aesthetics and resilience.

Harris’ involvement with CBE is based on many drivers:

  • Ensuring that teams stay abreast of the latest innovations and practices within the built environment.
  • Getting involved in projects and study areas to move forward value in design and construction.
  • Maintaining awareness of best practices for occupant experience, health and comfort.
  • Improving resilience of systems.
  • Looking to optimize the resource, energy and functional costs to meet desired performances.
  • Staying involved with post-occupancy evaluations to refine designs and seek improvements through operational metrics.

Examples of Harris Design Studio staff projects include significant buildings and developments such as the international airport in Mexico City, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Apple Park in Cupertino, CA, WeWork collaborative spaces in many regions and high-end retail projects.

Harris’ green building portfolio includes LEED Platinum projects such as Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, and Apple Park. The list of LEED Gold and Silver projects includes T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, U.S. Bank Stadium and TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Merritt Pavilion in Oakland, CA, and many others. Additional noteworthy projects include the Tesla Gigafactory, Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium, Allianz Field and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans.

Featured image: Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Expansion Phase II, courtesy of Harris.

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