College of Charleston, Energy Plant

Project Details

2023

DWG is the prime designer on this project team of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical design. The project will replace the existing 2,500-ton cooling tower with a 4,000-ton model, along with its associated structure, electrical, and architectural features. The new tower must fit within the same basic footprint as the existing one and will require extensive coordination with current conditions and possibly the Charleston Board of Architectural Review (BAR). We will replace the chilled water pipes and pumps inside the plant to upsize the tower and make the systems more maintainable and accessible. We are evaluating the heating system to compare the replacement of steam boilers and underground piping with high-efficiency hot water condensing boilers at each building. The underground steam system is past its life expectancy and requires replacement. Extensive coordination with the College will be required to phase this work and to keep the campus chilled water system active while work is ongoing.