SIP Construction

The Sustainable Infrastructure Program (SIP) is the biggest step that the Oberlin College has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for campus. This project will bring the college within reach of its ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2025.

As students have returned to campus, the final construction phase of the four-year project has reached several big milestones. Distribution pipe installation is complete. Building mechanical system conversions are complete. Geothermal pipes have been flushed and are ready for service.

Work will continue in a few areas. In the Central Services Building, the electric-driven, heat pump and heat recover chiller are being installed and prepared to connect to the geothermal wells. The heat pump will extract heat from the geothermal wells in winter for heating and reject heat to the geothermal wells in summer for cooling. At the geothermal well fields, the final sections of pipe will be covered and the practice field will be reseeded with grass.

Across the system, we will continue to monitor and finetune the system operations. This commissioning phase is important to make sure that the system is operating as designed to efficiently provide heating and cooling across campus.

Week of September 9, 2024

• Additional updates will be made as project milestones are achieved.

Road Closures and Traffic Disruptions

• No roads are planned to be closed any further.

Wayfinding, Signage, and Fencing

• The area west of Wilder Hall and east of the Central Services Building will remain closed, with the exception of the sidewalk just north of Mudd.

Site Prep and Staging

• The construction team is utilizing a work and laydown area at the Central Services Building parking lot on the east side of the building, which is protected by fencing.

Abatement

• Abatement is complete.

Building Conversions and Improvements

• Building conversion work is complete.

Distribution Pipe Installation and Plant Conversion

• Distribution pipe installation is complete. All areas have been restored.
• Construction continues in the Central Services Building to connect equipment to the geothermal well field.

Geothermal Well Field

• Geothermal pipe installation and flushing is complete.