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Thenew University of Central Florida Downtown campus in Orlando boasts a21st-century living and learning environment where new ideas can flourish. Thatpenchant for innovation is evidenced in the very design and construction of thecampus – much of which was completed in August 2019.

UCFDowntown, in partnership with Valencia College, stretchesacross 15 acres in Orlando’s Creative Village and includes a165,000-square-foot academic building, UCF’s Center for Emerging Media and a15-story student housing tower.  

Poweringit all behind the scenes is a $10.6 million Central Energy Plant, adesign-build project constructed by Robins & Morton in the midst of thedowntown campus construction activity. Theproject called for a 9,200-square-foot, tilt-wall mechanical facility and an8,400-square-foot exterior cooling tower yard. While it has the capacity forsix chillers, only one was installed, with plans to add five more later as needed.

The project was a challenge of coordination, asit was sandwiched between two, much larger projects. That mandated anunprecedented level of collaboration, as each project was under separatecontracts. Most things – material deliveries, equipment maneuvering, utilityneeds etc. – had to be coordinated closely by three different constructionmanagement companies. It was a logistical balancing act, as multiple trades andsuppliers had to access each of the sites, all at various stages ofconstruction and with different objectives.

Nevertheless, Robins & Morton deliveredthe CEP on schedule to support the other buildings. Now complete, the CEPstructure itself stands two stories tall, 90% occupied by mechanical equipmentinstalled by a specialty trade contractor. In the remaining space, it containsa 250-square-foot office space, bathrooms, electrical rooms, and an 800-tonchiller with space for an additional five. In the exterior mechanical yard aretwo cooling towers, with space for an additional four.  In anticipation of demand growth, the buildingwas designed to be easily accessible for future installations and is equippedwith overhead doors.