IMEG provided engineering design services for Wassaja Hall, the third in a series of new residence halls located in the Ikenberry Commons student residence complex. IMEG served as the engineer for all three residence halls.

The residence hall uses a “pod” concept, offering at least four double bedrooms in each pod with four smaller, semi-private bathrooms. The dorm also includes multi-purpose space, a recreation room, lounge, kitchen, laundry, and RA apartment, all located on the main level. The student wings house the main lounge, study areas, ADA special student room, and RA single student rooms. Wi-Fi is provided throughout.

The building’s main mechanical spaces, located in the basement, are cooled by DOA discharge air, essentially providing free heating and cooling for the space. The dorm also has a dedicated steam/chilled water entrance room, dedicated water service entrance room, two dedicated outdoor air systems with a total enthalpy energy recovery wheel, and low-flow plumbing fixtures. A heat recovery chiller system supplies hot water for the building and has a redundant steam-to-hot water heat exchanger as a back-up.

Wassaja Hall’s new valve vault connects to an existing steam main design from the Ikenberry Commons; a detailed valve vault with maintenance access was designed below a main maintenance road and fire lane. A nearby building fed by the existing steam main had to remain on-line while connecting Wassaja Hall to the new vault design, requiring close coordination with the construction manager to solve phasing issues during design and construction.

A photovoltaic array was also installed on the building’s east wing. The building is projected to perform 30.7 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1 2007 requirements and has achieved 30
percent water savings. Key systems and capacities include:

  • Two 153-ton banks for each heat recovery chiller system
  • Heat recovery chiller system adjusts for building heating load
  • Stacked vertical fan coil units for student rooms
  • VAV air handling unit with total enthalpy energy recovery wheel
  • Low-flow plumbing fixtures
  • Photovoltaic array
  • Laundry make-up air provided by DOA-2 allowing outdoor air through an energy recovery wheel prior to being exhausted by dryers
  • Each utility is metered for the building and can be stored by UIUC to track energy usage