THE CHALLENGE
Eureka College needed to build a new dormitory to meet demand of the school’s growing attendance. The school requested that the new dorm be designed with a focus on green energy. It was decided that we would design a geothermal system to heat and cool the building. However, geothermal systems are specialized systems that require a well-field to be drilled around the building site, adding complexity to the project.

KED SOLUTION : Creating Practical, Green Solutions
A well-field was drilled around the building to allow the geothermal system to tap into deep underground temperatures. The geothermal system filters the underground temperatures into the building, thereby maintaining comfortable temperatures regardless of the outside air temperature. The system is green energy-focused and very energy efficient. We also designed the dorm’s bathrooms to include energy recovering ventilators (ER-Vs). The ER-Vs pull warm building air from the bathrooms to the heat exchanger, essentially pre-heating the air in the winter months. This is also a green energy solution, that helps both environmentally and with cost savings. As a result, Eureka College now has a new, energy efficient dormitory that is modernized and better meets attendance demand.