Early Bird

UPDATED: Work continues on Steam to Natural Gas Project

Improvements across multiple campus buildings will result in operational impacts throughout the summer.

By Lindsey Coulter

May 11, 2020

UPDATED MAY 14

The Auraria Campus’ Steam to Natural Gas Project continues on schedule and should be completed by the end of September.

Xcel Energy has finished the installation of gas lines and is finishing hardscape repairs. A comprehensive value-engineering effort by the design team and contractor GH Phipps provided room in the budget for the restoration of some original aspects of the project. The project schedule has been updated accordingly, and some original dates will be adjusted to allow for the delivery of a boiler and water heater.

Construction impacts: Updated May 14

Tivoli Commons

Current:

• Xcel Energy is boring through a campus irrigation mainline that is undergoing repairs at the soutwest corner of the Tivoli Quad.

Boulder Creek:

Current:

• Finishing work on interior walls in boiler room.
• Demolition of steam equipment.
• Demolition of concrete equipment pads in mechanical room.
• Work on gas line.
• May 18-July 9: Hot water will be unavailable.
• May 18-July 22: Heat will be unavailable.
• Sept. 20: Work on the building will be complete.

Upcoming:

• Noise related to mechanical room demolition

Plaza Building:

Current:

• Finishing work on hallway and reinstallation of ceiling.
• Completion of structural steel installation, including a new interior beam inside northeast corner of building.
• Installation of new decking for penthouse entrance.
• Installation of rooftop gas line.
• Exterior stud work on penthouse mechanical room.
• Demolition of steam equipment.

Upcoming:

• May 13-July 22: Hot water will be unavailable. Note: Plaza Health Center has electric water heaters and will not experience a hot-water outage.
• May 13-Aug. 6: Heat will be unavailable.
• Sept. 18: Work on the building will be complete.

Further impacts:

• Installation of structural steel for the penthouse and access from the new boiler-room penthouse into the building.

PE/Events Center:

Current:

• Installation of exterior studs for new boiler room penthouse.
• Finalizing gas line installation for inspection.
• Demolition of existing steam equipment.
• Construction begins on new penthouse roof.
• Roof construction for the new boiler penthouse.

Upcoming:

• May 7-27: Hot water will be unavailable.
• May 12-Aug. 5: Heat will be unavailable.
• Sept. 17: Work on the building will be complete.

Arts Building:

Current:

• Ceiling demolition in main lobby.
• Gas line and pipe installation in lobby and through Arts 173 classroom.
• Demolition of steam system begins.
• Exterior brickwork on north wall of lobby area.

Upcoming:

• May 18-July 30: Heat will be unavailable.
• May 18-Aug. 19: Hot water will be unavailable.
• Sept. 11: Work on the building will be complete.

Impacts: 

• To provide a more comfortable working environment in the mechanical room, steam has been temporarily shut down. As a result, there is no hot water in the building.
• There will be no gas to Arts kiln room until later this month.

Central Classroom:

Current:

• Installation of exterior gas lines on the roof.
• Demolition of steam equipment; dumpster will be placed in the alley.
• Re-routing of fire suppression main lines in mechanical room.
• Demolition of exterior brick outside the mechanical room in the alley.

Upcoming:

• May 18-July 31: Heat will be unavailable.
• May 18-July 28: Hot water will be unavailable.
• Sept. 14: Work on the building will be complete.

Impacts: 

• To provide a more comfortable working environment in the mechanical room, steam has been temporarily shut down. As a result, there is no hot water in the building.
• During the installation of the vertical gas lines in the alley between St. Elizabeth and the Central Building, the church’s food distribution will need to be relocated for safety.

West Classroom:

Current:

• Demolition for roof penetrations
• Relocation of roof sprinkler line for new flue placement in WC 153B.
• Demolition of steam heat exchangers.
• WC 243 closet conversion into flue chase.

Upcoming:

• May 26-Aug 7: Heat will be unavailable.
• May 26-Aug. 19: Hot water will be unavailable.
• Sept. 21: Work on the building will be complete.

Cherry Creek:

Current:

• Installation of roof penetrations for flues.
• Installation of interior gas piping.
• Demolition of steam equipment.

Upcoming:

• May 19-Aug. 17: Heat will be unavailable.
• May 19-Aug. 4: Hot water will be unavailable.
• Sept. 29: Work on the building will be complete.

Impacts:

• Gas piping will run from the east side of the building into the center of the building and up from the first floor to the third floor. As a result, there will be some work in the main lobby area on the east side of the building.

Science:

Current:

• Drywall work in boiler room.
• Preparation for exterior gas line installation.
• Steel work on new boiler room below Science 1067.
• Extensive work in 1067 Auditorium to core ceiling for flue penetrations and related structural steel to reinforce ceiling.
• Removal of the hard ceilings in both gender-neutral bathrooms for installation of HWS and HWR piping from the west wing mechanical room. 
• Demolition of ceiling in west wing, north hallway.
• Hot water source for Vivarium will not be affected.

Upcoming:

• June 4-Aug. 6: Heat will be unavailable.
• May 26-Aug. 10: Hot water will be unavailable.
• Sept. 29: Work on the building will be complete.

Impacts:

• Air-handling unit providing tempered air to 1067 Lecture Hall has been shut down.
• North corridor of the Old Science Building will be under construction to allow for pipe installation.
• Two gender-neutral restrooms in first floor will be offline until Aug. 7.
• Hot water piping work will close the main entrance on the north side of the building for four weeks in June.