K-12 Education

Waterford Science Center

Waterford School / Sandy, Utah

Our team provided sustainable and highly efficient mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology engineering and design services for the project. The two-story, 38,000 SF building includes classrooms, a makerspace, and laboratories—specifically a nature lab (animal sciences), computer science, physics, biology, outdoor studies, chemistry, and biotechnology. The labs were designed for science applications, utilizing low-energy lighting to optimize energy efficiency while providing the required output. All HVAC, power, and lighting design was developed to meet the objectives for requirements necessary for specialized laboratory and technology equipment.

This zero-emission, all-electric space utilizes a ground-source heat pump system and water-source dedicated outdoor air systems for ventilation and laboratory make-up air, resulting in a first year measured EUI of 44 kbtu/sf/year.

The design team focused on creating spaces to optimize learning at the center; evidenced in the labs and classrooms, but also in other areas. For example, we designed metering for the building's solar panels to record energy usage in the building. This data is relayed to a large monitor in the lobby displaying the energy generated vs. the energy used in the Science Center—a great way to teach students about energy conservation and sustainability.

Colvin Engineering and Envision Engineering completed this project before the merger.