Scope
Structural Engineering
Size
125,000 sf
Awards
ENR Global Best Project 2016: Best Green Project for Stanford Energy System Innovations
Key Info
- Uses waste heat from campus chilled water system to meet the bulk of campus heating needs
- All-electric facility
- Will reduce campus' carbon emissions by 50%, cutting water use by 18% and saving an estimated $300 million over the next 35 years
The $438 million Stanford Energy System Innovations program creates one of the most energy efficient systems of any major research university. A central part of the program, Rutherford + Chekene replaced the current natural gas powered cogeneration plant with an electrically powered regeneration plant that features heat recovery chillers and thermal energy storage. The most innovative component of the plan—the cutting-edge energy system—uses waste heat from more than 150 campus buildings and redistributes it for heating purposes. Rutherford + Chekene was the structural engineer-of-record for the project, the OSHPD primary design professional, and provided 3-D modeling/clash detection for nonstructural bracing of piping and anchorage of equipment.