Dunham provided mechanical and electrical engineering services for the new Swenson Civil Engineering Building on the University of Minnesota, Duluth campus. The 35,300 SF two-story building consists of a hydraulics lab, structural lab, materials testing lab, wood/metal shop, offices, and classrooms.

Sustainable components of this building include high-efficiency lighting and lighting controls, variable flow heating cooling systems, displacement ventilation systems, airside energy recovery, low flow high-efficiency water closets and urinals, and stormwater collection.

The high-bay laboratory space utilizes a displacement ventilation system that provides improved thermal comfort, improved indoor air quality, and minimizes energy consumption. The underfloor air distribution system, used throughout the classrooms and office spaces, provides improved ventilation effectiveness and increased economizer operations, as well as a high level of user control. In addition, the use of variable-air-volume fans with variable-frequency drives greatly reduce the HVAC system energy loads.

The use of occupancy sensors and daylight sensors help reduce peak electrical demand, with the daylighting providing the largest savings by the elimination of lighting during much of the day.

Design of the low voltage systems consisted of telecommunication cabling infrastructure throughout the facility (including dedicated rooms for network distribution); Security Systems Coordination (Owner provided systems including Access Control, Video Surveillance, Intrusion Detection) that ties into campus head-end systems; Building Automation System backbone cabling and interface; Building Energy Display screen; and select area Audio Visual accommodations.

We also provided energy modeling services to evaluate mechanical system options and LEED submission.

Project Highlights

• 35,300 SF, two-story structure
• Hydraulics lab, structural lab, materials testing lab, wood/metal shop
• Flexible design to accommodate multiple functions, and adaptable to future needs
• High efficient lighting and lighting controls
• Displacement Ventilation System in high-bay laboratory spaces
• Underfloor air distribution system throughout the classroom and office spaces
• Storm Water Collection
• Extensive daylighting
• Exceeds the Minnesota Sustainable Building 2030 Challenge Criteria
• Energy Modeling Services