Food & Beverage Processing
A food or beverage plant is a regulated production environment first and a building second. Air has to cascade from clean to dirty, wet-process surfaces have to survive caustic washdown, and the process loads — refrigeration, glycol, steam, CIP — dwarf the comfort systems. We deliver construction-ready sanitary MEP coordinated tight to your process and equipment vendors.
Sanitary Zoning, Washdown Power, and Process-Driven Utilities.
In this sector the MEP either protects the product or contaminates it. Pressure cascades and filtered, dew-point-controlled air reduce airborne allergen and microbial contamination risk around open product; NEMA 4X fixtures in caustic-compatible materials and sloped, high-volume drainage are specified for daily caustic washdown; and the refrigeration, glycol, steam, and CIP loads set the real design basis. Ammonia machinery rooms and PSM-covered systems carry their own safety standards. We design the building MEP around your process vendors, under the direction and seal of the licensed engineer of record on your project.
Sanitary HVAC & Hygienic Zoning
Air engineered to protect open product, not just condition the room.
- Clean-to-dirty pressure cascades mapped zone by zone to limit airborne cross-contamination
- Dew-point and surface-temperature control to stop condensation on product-contact surfaces
- HEPA/high-MERV filtration and positive pressure over open-product and packaging areas
- Allergen and SKU segregation airflow for shared multi-product lines
- Washdown-rated, cleanable air handlers with sealed wall and pipe penetrations
- Sanitation purge cycles with heated make-up air to clear fog and dry surfaces
Process Refrigeration & Cooling
The building MEP around the refrigeration plant, coordinated with its designer.
- Ammonia plant to ANSI/IIAR 2 or CO2 plant to ANSI/IIAR CO2, by the refrigeration engineer — we design the building MEP around it
- Ammonia-room ventilation, detection, and shutdown coordinated with the refrigeration engineer; non-ammonia machine-room ventilation per ASHRAE 15
- Refrigerant detection and alarm coordination with the PSM/RMP program where it applies
Washdown Electrical & Process Power
Power and controls specified for daily caustic sanitation.
- NEMA 4X / washdown-rated devices, panels, and fittings in wet and sanitation zones
- Process power, motor schedules, and VFDs coordinated line by line with equipment vendors
- Sanitary, sealed, washdown-durable lighting at the illuminance inspection tasks require
- Service capacity calculated per NEC Articles 220 and 430, and standby capacity sized to real process demand and motor starting, not connected nameplate
- Equipment grounding, bonding, and control-pathway rough-in for line automation
- Classified flammable-liquid and high-proof spirit areas designed by a hazardous-area specialist
Process Water, CIP & Plumbing
Clean utilities in, high-volume sanitation waste out.
- RO/DI, softened, and food-grade process-water distribution sized to line and CIP demand; treatment packages by the vendor
- Clean-in-place (CIP) supply, return, and chemical-feed coordination with the skid vendor
- High-volume trench, hub, slot, and area drains coordinated with the architect's floor slopes (typically 1.5–2%) for full hose-down, with sanitary detailing
- Process steam and condensate coordinated with the steam specialist; food-grade compressed-air distribution for process
- Backflow prevention, with air-gap separation where required, on process and chemical connections
- Vendor pH-neutralization and FOG pretreatment coordinated to EPA 40 CFR 403 and local sewer limits
Compliance, Vendor & Scope Coordination
The regulatory and vendor coordination that keeps the set buildable.
- FDA cGMP (21 CFR 117), FSMA, and USDA sanitary-design intent carried through the documents
- 3-A Sanitary Standards and hygienic detailing reflected in MEP material and finish selections
- Process flow, utility matrix, and connection points reconciled with equipment vendors
- Refrigeration safety to ANSI/IIAR 2 for ammonia, or ANSI/IIAR CO2 with ASHRAE 15 for CO2 (R-744), coordinated with the PSM/RMP scope where required
- Classified-area, fire-protection, and process-safety specialty scope clearly bounded as by-others
| Scope | CoreX designs | By others |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration plant (ammonia / CO2) | Non-ammonia machine-room ventilation, emergency power, and drainage around the plant; ammonia-room safety coordinated | Refrigeration engineer (plant and ammonia-room safety design) |
| CIP | Supply, return, and chemical-feed coordination; process water sized to CIP demand | Skid vendor |
| Pretreatment | Vendor pH-neutralization and FOG pretreatment coordinated to EPA 40 CFR 403 and local sewer limits | Pretreatment vendor |
| Classified areas | Conventional sanitary MEP around the classified scope, with clean connection points | Hazardous-area specialist |
We map pressure relationships zone by zone so air moves from clean, high-care areas toward dirtier ones. Open-product and packaging rooms get filtration, positive pressure, and dew-point control to keep condensation off product-contact surfaces. For multi-SKU lines we design allergen and product segregation into the airflow. It is a hygienic-zoning problem, documented to FDA cGMP and USDA sanitary-design intent, not a comfort problem.
The ammonia (R-717) or CO2 (R-744) refrigeration plant itself is a hazardous specialty — designed to ANSI/IIAR 2 for ammonia or ANSI/IIAR CO2 for R-744 — by the refrigeration engineer. We coordinate the ammonia-room ventilation, detection, and shutdown requirements with the refrigeration engineer, design CO2 machine-room ventilation to ASHRAE 15 and ANSI/IIAR CO2, and design the emergency power and drainage around the plant. Where the charge puts the system under OSHA PSM or EPA RMP, we coordinate our MEP with that process-safety scope. The refrigeration load usually sets the real electrical and mechanical basis for the whole plant.
Yes. In wet-process and sanitation zones we specify NEMA 4X / washdown-rated devices, enclosures, fittings, and sealed sanitary lighting, with materials and gaskets checked against the plant's cleaning chemicals, and IP69K-rated equipment where high-pressure, high-temperature washdown is used. Process power, VFDs, and motor schedules are coordinated line by line with your equipment vendors so what we draw matches what gets installed. In the wet areas we specify equipment whose enclosure and material ratings suit the actual washdown pressure, temperature, and cleaning chemicals, rather than defaulting to standard commercial-grade gear.
Yes. We size RO/DI, softened, and food-grade process-water distribution to line and CIP demand (treatment packages by the vendor), and coordinate CIP supply, return, and chemical feed with the skid vendor. Floors get high-volume trench and hub drains, sloped and sanitary-detailed for washdown, with vendor pH-neutralization and FOG pretreatment coordinated to EPA 40 CFR 403 pretreatment requirements and the local sewer authority's limits. Backflow prevention, with air-gap separation where required, protects process and chemical connections.
High-proof spirit, flammable-liquid, and other classified (hazardous-location) areas are a specialty scope handled by a hazardous-area designer, and the refrigeration process-safety (PSM/RMP) scope is bounded separately. We design the conventional, sanitary MEP — hygienic HVAC, washdown power, process water, CIP, and drainage — around that classified scope and coordinate clean connection points, all behind the seal of the licensed engineer of record on your project.