Cubellis Completes Structural and Electrical Engineering Services

Staff

Cubellis, a national architecture, interior design and engineering services firm from Boston, MA, has completed work for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. on the design and installation of a roof-mounted photovoltaic (solar panel) system at the Deer Island Treatment Plant, located on Deer Island in Boston Harbor. Cubellis provided structural and electrical engineering services on the project consisting of a 100-kilowatt roof-mounted system. "By utilizing wind load calculations, we were able to verify the capacity of the roof connectors to hold the panels down in the event of very high wind loads in access of 100 mph — well above the industry standard," said James Trant, P.E., principal, Structural Engineering at Cubellis. The Deer Island roof-mounted project was conceived in response to Governor Patrick's Executive Order 484, "Leading By Example — Clean Energy and Efficient Buildings," issued April 18, 2007. That Executive Order sets ambitious standards for the reduction of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by state agencies, as well as increased use of renewable power — 15 percent of state government energy use by 2015 and 30 percent by 2020.