CU Boulder North of Boulder Creek Utilities Upgrade

Location: Boulder, CO

Construction Cost: $15 M

Completed: 2022-Present

Contact: Brian Moffitt, Project Manager

The North of Boulder Creek (NBC) Utility Relocation and Expansion project is a key enabling effort to support the University of Colorado Boulder’s long-term growth and its Climate Action Plan goals. ST+B Engineering is leading the utility infrastructure design to serve a new residential village and future campus expansion north of Boulder Creek. The project’s primary objective is to develop a comprehensive and phased design for chilled water, heating water, and medium voltage distribution systems that are critical to enabling future low-carbon campus development and deeper integration into the Boulder community. Placement of new infrastructure utilities requires intensive collaborative efforts between CUB staff, concurrent residential hall design teams, additional concurrent projects in the NBC area as well as the City of Boulder. ST+B’s Team is providing the following scope of services:

Marine Court Electrical Distribution Upgrade

Distribution upgrade from a 500kva transformer to a 750 kva 480 to 208/120V Wye transformer. Upgrade design includes for a temporary generator installation to mitigate an interruption of power to the buildings during construction.

Chilled Water

Install approximately 360 LF of chilled piping from basement of new residence hall 1 to interception point on east side of 20th Street.Install approximately 2,800 LF of 20-inch chilled water piping from central campus down Folsom Avenue, under Boulder Creek to hand off point near south end of Grandview Avenue. Install 1,300 LF of chilled water piping from hand off point to interception point on east side of 20th Street.

Heating Water

Rework interior heating plant piping for improved hydraulics and ability to serve current and future heating loads. Relocate existing pumps and install new pump to existing heating plant system in basement of 150 Marine Court A for efficiency and redundancy. Install 320 LF of direct buried heated water piping from basement of Marine Court A heating plant to support new residence hall 1. The heating system is designed for current and future temperature standards and is well positioned for expansion.

Medium Voltage Distribution

Installing new 400+ LF of medium voltage ductbank to support new residence hall 1. Bid Package 1 involved the installation of roughly 400 plus feet of new medium voltage ductbank, included modification of manhole 401 and installation of a new electrical manhole at Residence Hall 1 and transformer placement. These efforts support powering the new residence hall and helping complete the looping of MV service to the North of Boulder Creek development. Bid Package 2 was a four phased heavily coordinated process to complete MV loop to switch 300. The project involved installing new ductback sections, installing electrical manhole 406, demolishing existing MV cables and switches, providing temporary power, pulling new MV cables and transformer tie in.