Duquesne University Power Center

About The Project

This multi-purpose recreation project consisted of a six story, 130,000 square foot facility with a variety of program functions. The first two floors house a Barnes and Noble Campus Bookstore, the Red Ring Restaurant and offices. Floors three through five contain a University fitness and wellness program including gymnasiums, indoor soccer/deck hockey venues, racquet ball courts, aerobic classrooms, and weight training. The sixth floor contains a ballroom with a pre-function area and a full kitchen. As a result of the campus expansion, Dodson was engaged to provide design services that modified the cooling plant and extended the pumping capacity and piping distribution network. A particular feature of the plant was the development of an ice storage system that included a 1,100-ton chiller with 28 ice storage tanks providing 6,000 ton-hours of cooling. The ice storage system resolved a significant issue for the university by providing 1,750 tons of combined chiller operation and ice melting during peak design summer loads. The 1,100-ton chiller was dedicated to ice development during off-peak nighttime periods. This unique feature allowed the university to expand the plant for the new campus construction project without unnecessary chiller capacity or the addition of cooling towers which lacked the required exterior space.