University of Southern Indiana

With the campus quickly expanding, the University of Southern Indiana needed a new Physical Plant to accommodate the cooling and heating capacity over the next 20 years. USI also wanted to incorporate the latest engineering technology.

The design included:

• New 12,500-volt electrical service and switchgear
• 1,200-ton variable speed chiller and related pumping systems
• New high temperature, high pressure hot water boiler and pumping systems
• New chilled water storage tank pumping interface using repurposed pumps

Careful consideration was given to incorporating new efficient equipment that guaranteed significant cost savings. It was also important to ensure the systems were easy to maintain as well as reliable so the University is always assured that the campus will have the proper infrastructure in place to serve their needs now and in the future.

To create an interesting visual, a significant portion of the exterior screen wall of the building is made of frosted tempered glass. It is used to mask the building’s equipment throughout the day, but at night, it turns into a fun light show. 14 LED fixtures change color over time and provide a light show on the glass screen wall. The lights also have the ability to be customized for special University events. Physical plants, by nature, are not usually the most aesthetically pleasing buildings. However, USI embraced the Hafer design concept of making this engineering application aesthetically pleasing with engineering and technology students on campus, this project was a perfect opportunity to highlight equipment and systems by making visibly interesting.