Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Renewable Energy Initiatives Enhance Campus

  • 06/01/18
Ameresco

Roxbury Community College partnered with Ameresco to both save energy, and create a sustainable energy solution for the campus and community.

Founded in 1973, Roxbury Community College (RCC) is a multicultural, urban, student-centered, open-access community college located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA. RCC offers associates degree and certificate programs, online courses, corporate and community education programs, and lifelong-learning courses.

When current President Dr. Valerie Roberson took office in 2013, she was immediately faced with millions of dollars in deferred maintenance at the 16-acre, five-building urban campus that houses classrooms, specialized science and computer laboratories, the Library and Learning Center, the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, and the Media Arts Center.

In August 2016, RCC partnered with Ameresco for a $20.1 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC), that was part a larger $72.5 million ongoing renovation project to help modernize the campus. Completed in 2017, the ESPC provides a great example of how the combination of energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy delivered a winning budget-neutral sustainable solution for the urban campus and the entire community.

The tri-level renewable energy solution for parking lot 1 is the most unique aspect of the project. It includes 115 geothermal wells, 500-feet-deep beneath parking lot 1, designed to capture energy for heating and cooling the campus. On the surface, there is parking for 320 cars, in addition to electric charging stations for up to six cars. Above the lot, there is a solar canopy with approximately 3,000 solar panels representing nearly a megawatt of power. In addition, there is efficient LED lighting under the PV canopy deck to help increase security for students.

The overall ESPC project, which encompasses a total of 23 energy conservation measures, is expected to save RCC about $860,000 annually that can go back to serving students and community.

www.ameresco.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management June 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.