Colorado State University’s main source of heating and cooling was an outdated steam system. Rather than trying to fix the current system, CSU decided to perform a utility convention to the Arena, helping the university toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

The project included demolition of all steam to hot water conversion equipment and capping main steam lines to the building. A new water Geo-Exchange System was designed to provide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to the facility. The project utilizes 1,200 nominal tons of water to water heat pump equipment to generate heating and chilled water for use at the existing campus air handling equipment. The heat pump source water connections are tied to a vertical deep well Geo-Exchange System utilizing 342 deep wells, each at 550’ deep. The existing campus air handling equipment was primarily re-utilized. However, since heat pump systems generate much lower heating water temperatures than the existing system, significant piping, heating coil, and fan upgrades were also included in the existing equipment to facilitate this utility conversion. Moby Arena is one of the largest higher education campus buildings in the country to utilize a Geo-Exchange System.

The project was structured as a Design/Build project with The Ballard Group contracted as the prime design consultant to our Design/Build partners, U.S. Engineering, Inc and Adolfson & Peterson Construction.