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Campuses:
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
Adolfson & Peterson
39,600 GSF
$81 Million
This project includes the renovation of the Old Main Heating Plant building to add combined heat and power generation equipment and space plan for a future package boiler and future chilled water plant equipment to create a multi-function Old Main Utility Building. Originally constructed in 1912, the Old Main Heating Plant has undergone several renovations/additions over the years. It houses seven (7) coal & gas fired boilers, the last of which was shut down from steam production in 2000. Since that time the building has fallen into disrepair. The building also currently houses a steam pipe fitter workshop area and provides key access points to the deep steam tunnels.
Due to both the growth of new University buildings requiring steam service and aging boiler equipment on the Minneapolis campus, the University is at risk for a shortage in firm boiler capacity relative to winter-time peak steam demand beginning in 2014. Therefore, new steam boiler equipment that will provide the additional required steam capacity needs to be added to the Minneapolis campus. This will be accomplished by installing new combined heat and power equipment in the existing Old Main Utility Building located adjacent to the Mississippi river in the Knoll area. The combined heat and power equipment represents a two stage configuration. First a new natural gas fired turbine will generate electricity for use on the Minneapolis campus. Second a new heat recovery steam boiler will recover heat from the combustion gases that are discharged from the turbine to generate the required steam capacity. The combined heat and power equipment solution was chosen because the added benefit of electricity generation for use on campus further reduces the carbon footprint for the University and represents the best long term sustainable solution from an energy use standpoint. Additionally, the plant will be designed with space allocation for future installation of a packaged boiler as well as two steam turbine-driven chillers.
A significant portion of the project budget is devoted to hazardous materials abatement for both the Old Main building and the adjacent incinerator building (which is planned to be demolished as part of this project). The existing boilers and piping within the Old Main building contain significant amounts of asbestos in the boiler and piping insulation. Abatement/demolition of the boilers is also complicated by the fact that the building structural columns were built integral with the boilers. Therefore, some of the building columns will need to be removed and replaced as part of the boiler demolition work. The building exterior walls are in relatively good shape and will be refurbished where required. The building roof profile will be simplified by removal of the multiple penthouses and a new roof will be installed.
December 2012: Schematic Design Complete
November 2013: Abatement Begins
April 2014: Construction Documents Complete
June 2014: Demolition Begins
August 2014: Construction Begins
January 2016:
Construction Complete
The predesign is complete. Further refinement of the design will take place as we move into SD/DD/CD’s. In anticipation of moving forward the following activities are also underway:
