Blacksburg, VA
Virginia Tech New Upper Quad Residence Hall
Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering
This new four-floor, 300-bed residence hall is one of the final projects in the Upper Quad precinct redesign which kicked off in 2013 and will accommodate VT’s growing student population. The facility will combine historic elements with modern amenities for students in Virginia Tech’s Corps of Cadets and Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Services
In addition to the student rooms, the building features a meeting room, staff apartment, floor lounges, group kitchen, regimental offices, company storage, and a mud room.
2RW’s services include:
- Consultation and planning for MEP infrastructure and relocation of utilities
- Sustainable MEP design for:
- An energy-efficient hydronic HVAC system with connection into campus utilities using independent fan coil units in student rooms and a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS)s
- A Direct Digital Control (DDC) Building Automation System (BAS) connected to the central campus building management system for monitoring and automated alerts
- Exterior lighting for the building facade to highlight the Hokie stone and sally port archway structure
Results
- The DOAS system with energy recovery improves ventilation, making the dormitory more energy efficient, comfortable, and minimizes health impacts.
- This building, which is targeting LEED Silver, is expected to meet the following projections (calculations completed during design phase):
- 30% lower water usage as compared to similar buildings
- An energy use index (EUI) of 74.5 kBTU/sf) which is a 17.3% improvement over the ASHRAE standard
Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering
OWNER: Virginia Tech (VT)
TIMEFRAME: 2020 – 2023 (projected)
SIZE: 57,000 SF; 300-bed
COST: $33 million
Highlights
Consultation and coordination with the VT Utilities Services Group, Department of Student Affairs, and the construction manager ensured that there were no unplanned interruptions to utilities in buildings connected to the campus’ central plant and that any required downtime occurred during off-hours.
