Washington College Dormitories

Gipe Associates provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems design for the renovation of the 45,000sf Dining Facility at Washington College. The lower level of Hodson Hall was designed to accommodate the Student Center, complete with a video gaming room, billiards room, student lounges, coffee café, eatery and small performance theater. The upper level was the Dining Facility with various food court amenities.  All systems were designed for maximum energy efficiency.

The existing square footage to be renovated was approximately 32,000sf and the addition was 12,900sf.  A temporary cafeteria/kitchen was added along with temporary toilet facilities. Gipe Associates provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing support for the packaged temporary facilities. Heating and cooling is provided by a geothermal system consisting of 180 boreholes that were installed under the lawn in front of the Hodson Hall. Twelve (12) geothermal water to water heat pumps provide chilled and heated water to the kitchen make-up air systems and energy recovery ventilators. Approximately fifty-one (51) water to air heat pumps are utilized throughout the building for heating and cooling. The geothermal system was designed to heat, cool, and dehumidify approximately 42,000 CFM of outside air.

Gipe Associates provided detailed geothermal consulting for Washington College prior to the design phase of Hodson Hall. Gipe Associates provided pre-design geothermal consulting that included the following:

  • Geothermal Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Geothermal Master Planning for Various well fields
  • Geothermal System Cost Estimating
  • Geothermal Heat Transfer Calculations
  • Geothermal Site Plan and Borefield Designs

Based on very tight existing campus constraints the final geothermal well field was designed to be located in the courtyard adjacent to Hodson Hall. Photographs taken before and after illustrate the well planned geothermal well field system. The Hodson Hall project was bid on time and on budget. Washington College has expressed extreme satisfaction with the building and its associated geothermal systems. Total square footage 45,000.

Project Type: Higher Education,