Higher Education – RMH Group

The RMH Group evaluated geo-exchange and deep geothermal energy solutions across the University of Colorado Boulder’s three primary campuses to support long-term decarbonization and energy resilience goals. The team analyzed each campus’s heating and cooling demands, available land area, and subsurface conditions to identify the most viable geothermal strategies.

At Williams Village, RMH determined that a conventional geo-exchange system could efficiently meet campus energy needs. For Main Campus, the team assessed a deep geothermal steam solution capable of supporting approximately 200,000 MBH of heating and 10,000 tons of cooling through a borefield of up to 2,600 wells reaching depths of 1,000 feet. At East Campus, RMH compared an ambient loop network with a centralized heat pump plant to serve approximately 100,000 MBH of heating and 8,000 tons of cooling, using up to 1,700 boreholes at a depth of 800 feet.

The study also identified a geo-exchange opportunity at Williams Village capable of supporting 17,000 MBH of heating and 750 tons of cooling with approximately 300 boreholes. In addition, the team evaluated a campus-wide alternative featuring a 26,000-foot closed-loop deep geothermal system capable of serving all three campuses.

The Student Success Building is the first structure in the Metro State “neighborhood” on the Auraria Higher Education Campus, designated exclusively for use by Metro State students and faculty. Metro State shares the Auraria campus with two other institutions: the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver. This new facility encompasses approximately 145,000 square feet and includes functional spaces for classrooms, offices, critical support services, the Office of the President, as well as special programs and departments.

Metro State is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions associated with campus operations; therefore, sustainability was a key requirement for this building. As the mechanical and electrical design engineer for the project, RMH implemented high-performance building systems, which feature efficient heating and cooling systems, low-water-use fixtures, and reliable power supplies.

BYU-Idaho is Idaho’s largest private University, sitting on a 430-acre campus with a district heating loop providing space heating for 40 buildings. RMH served as mechanical, electrical, and controls engineer for this project to add cogeneration capabilities to the Rexburg campus heating plant. The University replaced its coal-fired boiler plant with a new, multi-leveled heating plant containing a combined heat and power (CHP) system using natural gas. The project began with a conceptual study/economic analysis, which investigated the economic viability of adding cogeneration capabilities.

After completing the conceptual study and economic analysis, RMH designed the installation of a nominal 5.7MWe natural gas turbine with a 50,000 pph HRSG, which has a calculated simple payback of eight years. RMH’s design for the gas turbine featured a fully enclosed evaporative cooling system to increase the turbine output, as well as a turbine enclosure heat reuse system.

RMH Group provided MEP engineering services for renovating and expanding the University of Colorado at Boulder’s recreation center. The project involved updating the 215,000-square-foot facility and adding 93,000 square feet of new space. The enhanced recreation center now offers expanded weight and cardio areas, a new ice rink with stadium seating and LED lighting, a three-story rock-climbing gym with a bouldering wall, an outdoor aquatics facility, an indoor turf gym, four lighted rooftop tennis courts, a new entrance and lobby, and renovated pools, gyms, and locker rooms.

Focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability goals, the project incorporates innovative heating and cooling systems that significantly reduce energy consumption. Features such as a heat recovery loop, which transfers excess heat to areas like the swimming pools and domestic hot water system, along with evaporative cooling, thermal displacement ventilation, radiant slab heating, and daylight harvesting, all contribute to the building’s energy profile. This recreation center earned LEED Platinum certification upon completion.

At the heart of Denver, the Auraria Campus is a beacon of knowledge and opportunity, serving over 40,000 students, faculty, and staff from the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. The Campus HVAC Replacement project marks a significant step towards continuing to provide a conducive environment to learn and work while enriching the local community.

RMH is the prime consultant on the project, providing mechanical and electrical engineering services focused on replacing an aging mechanical infrastructure across the campus. This project provides more efficient and reliable service for nine key buildings on campus, covering over 1.25 million square feet. Recognizing HVAC upgrades as more than maintenance, RMH aims to respond to increasingly frequent and extreme weather conditions and the need for thermal comfort. According to Natasha Hernandez, RMH’s Vice President, the project aims to create the best conditions for learning, knowledge, and productivity for all campus users.

The project’s impact will extend beyond the buildings, transforming learning environments. AHEC can count on RMH’s expertise and commitment to providing top-notch HVAC solutions for its campus stakeholders and the surrounding communities.

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