The same week as Central Washington University unveiled its newest academic facility on the Ellensburg campus, Capital Projects and Facilities Management crews began preparing a new site for a major building project that reflects the university’s values of student success and environmental stewardship.
Now that the Health Education and Nicholson Pavilion renovation project has been introduced to the community, CWU can now focus its attention on the North Academic Complex (NAC), located east of Brooks Library and south of Dean Nicholson Boulevard. Fencing was erected around the work site last week, and work on the 106,000-square-foot, four-story structure will continue until its scheduled opening in early 2026.
The first-of-its-kind project in Washington—which received a large portion of its funding in the state’s 2023-25 capital budget—features the installation of a geothermal well that will heat the new structure and up to three more buildings by harnessing the renewable heat emitted from the Ellensburg Aquifer.
“Central Washington University is committed to creating a more sustainable future by transitioning to more green energy sources to heat and cool our campus facilities,” CWU President Jim Wohlpart said. “The GeoEco Plant that will be used to power the NAC and other nearby buildings is an important step for CWU as we look to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Geological Sciences Professor and sustainability advocate Susan Kaspari is equally encouraged by the university’s transition to geothermal power, adding that the Geo-Eco Plant will benefit CWU faculty and students, and residents across the Central Washington region.
“We will be able to use the GeoEco Plant in a wide range of courses, spanning geology and sustainability to engineering and design,” she said. “By incorporating this project into our courses, we support our goal of providing students with the necessary knowledge and skills to support a sustainable future.”
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold facility —estimated to cost $103.7 million— was designed by the architecture duo team of NAC/Opsis, and will be built by Garco Construction. But before any major work on the NAC can begin, CWU will have to demolish the Language and Literature building (L&L). Once the NAC is completed in 2026, the aging Farrell Hall also will be demolished.
Both academic facilities were built in the 1970s and were not designed with energy efficiency considerations. Neither building complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and by replacing them with the NAC, the university estimates that it will reduce its energy consumption by 63% and save $80 million in repairs.
For the past five decades, L&L and Farrell were home to several of the academic programs that will be moved to the NAC, including the College of Arts and Humanities, and the departments of Law and Justice and Political Science.
“Much of the academic programming centered around the general education curriculum—which affects the majority of CWU’s incoming freshmen—has taken place in these two substandard buildings for years,” Director of Capital Projects Delano Palmer said. “The construction of the NAC will provide the innovative, 21st century, energy-efficient, and academic-inspiring facility that all CWU students deserve.”
The connection of the NAC to the GeoEco Plant, along with the demolition of L&L and Farrell Hall, will be equivalent to a 50-year total carbon reduction of 33,000 metric tons of carbon, Palmer added. These combined improvements will equal the removal of approximately 7,200 cars from the road.
The spatial orientation of the NAC will include a large, centralized atrium that will be illuminated by natural sunlight from multiple directions. Several academic spaces will have views of the atrium, making the internal-facing spaces as aesthetically pleasing as the exterior wall spaces.
The area surrounding the atrium will be dedicated to classrooms, while the adjacent four-story wing will be the administrative block, with a collection of collaboration spaces and faculty/staff offices. Marquee spaces inside the NAC will include a 245-seat lecture hall, an 80-seat divisible classroom, a mock court room, wellness room, and gender-neutral restrooms.
“We are very proud of everything the NAC represents, and best of all, it’s going to provide a world-class learning environment for our students for many years to come,” Wohlpart said, adding that the complex also pays tribute to our region’s history by sourcing building materials from some regional Native American and Indigenous communities.
As much as the NAC will enhance the campus aesthetics, the most significant benefit of the structure will be the green energy rewards—not just for the university but also for the Ellensburg community and the planet.
The GeoEco Plant (GEP)—which will be located on an adjacent lot in front of Nicholson Pavilion— marks the first time CWU has implemented an energy source other than steam power, derived from natural gas-fired boilers.
Palmer noted this transition will result in a 10% reduction of natural gas dependency on campus, while resulting in a net-zero utilization of natural resources.
“The GeoEco Plant will feature extraction and injection wells that will utilize the area’s groundwater temperatures through a heat exchanger,” he said. “The groundwater will then be returned to its source untouched, resulting in a net zero utilization.”
The university will continue to use steam as a back-up energy source, but it is planning to develop additional GeoEco modules that will create a network of redundancy campus-wide.
Anthony Schoen, principal of mechanical systems for MW Engineers, said CWU is the first university in the region to install a geothermal system at a central-campus utility scale.
“The GEP model provides a roadmap for other universities and building owners to follow and learn from when identifying potential solutions to decarbonizing central utility plants, and it represents CWU’s first step toward decarbonization of campus utilities,” he said.
As the university expands the number of GEP modules across campus, it will eventually be able to trade energy between buildings. Schoen explained that when one building rejects heating or cooling energy, the GEP system can move that excess energy to another building that needs heating or cooling.
“Trading of energy between the ground and other buildings on campus makes this one of the most efficient energy system available,” he said. “Once additional GeoEco Plants are installed, that will provide all-electric heating and cooling for every building on campus.”
Becoming more carbon-neutral is one of the primary goals outlined in CWU’s upcoming Climate Action Plan, spearheaded by Sustainability Officer Jeff Bousson. He noted that the campus community was very clear during a series of sustainability forums this year that harnessing geothermal power should be among CWU’s top priorities.
“This project helps demonstrate our commitment to building a more sustainable future in collaboration with the local community,” Bousson said.
CWU’s green-energy initiatives don’t only help the university achieve its goals; the City of Ellensburg and other community partners also stand to reap the long-term benefits.
Ellensburg Mayor Nancy Lillquist said CWU’s commitment to reducing emissions through state-of-the-art building design sets a positive example for other entities in the community and across the region.
“The estimated energy savings realized through this project will make an impact toward Ellensburg and CWU achieving our collective sustainability goals,” Lillquist said.
September 5, 2024
by University Relations
