Optimizing Campus Utilities: Wake Forest’s Vertical Solution

Wake Forest University (WFU), a private university research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, relocated its campus from the town of Wake Forest nearly 70 years ago. Today, they operate a robust district chilled water system with two chiller plants, North Plant (2,400 tons) and South Plant (4,800 tons) that serve facilities housing more than 9,000 students and faculty. When RMF Engineering was approached to upgrade WFU’s South Chiller Plant, goals included minimal disruptions to campus services and the preservation of campus aesthetics. This led to an important step in the plant’s renovation: building vertically to free up real estate while expanding cooling capacity and bringing much-needed improvements in resiliency and efficiency for WFU’s main campus.

The project included the replacement of the two existing 600-ton chillers with two 1200-ton chillers which, with the two other existing 1,200-ton chillers, increased the plant’s capacity by 33% from 3,600 to 4,800 total tons. The plant includes the four new custom towers, condenser water pumps, and piping, upgrading its operational capacity and efficiency to evolve alongside the growing student population. Due in part to the plant’s location, the towers were designed to sit on a new superstructure that spans over the existing plant. The superstructure is sheathed in brick to blend in with nearby buildings.

The plant represents a critical milestone in the University’s journey to optimize chilled water systems, which started in 2015. The plant had existing controls optimization in place through Optimum Energy but was limited in performance by the aging equipment. Alongside the completion of the North Plant renovation in 2019, the completion of the South Chiller Plant signals that WFU has now successfully upgraded and optimized their entire chilled water generation system. As of September 2025, WFU is already seeing a reduction of 0.2 kW/ ton (conservatively well over $100K per year (in savings) during peak summer operation of the South Plant from the incorporation of the new variable speed chillers, variable flow condenser water, and custom towers with further reductions anticipated as the plant’s variable speed equipment enables further optimization through the off-peak season.

Building Up: The Decision to Go Vertical

The decision to go vertical was not originally a part of the plan. Placing the towers over top of the building with a steel superstructure was nearly the last of a dozen 3D modeled design concepts generated during the feasibility study, the benefits of which cannot be overstated.Once presented, however, it became clear this configuration addressed not only WFU’s operational needs but provided added benefits for land space and aesthetics. This concept may not
have come to fruition without the initial study, as an initial commitment to budget and duration may have already been made and the pressure to not deviate could have prevented the plant we have today from becoming a reality.

The towers were originally planned for an area next to the plant building at ground level in the location of the existing towers, but there were concerns about the amount of space they would occupy in such an important area of campus for WFU’s expanding athletics programs. Additionally, the University had concerns about the duration their largest chiller plant would need to be offline. Utilizing insights from the feasibility study, the decision was ultimately made to shift the towers to above the existing building with a steel superstructure, which freed up land space for athletics or campus operations usage. Each decision in the process, from planning to execution, was made with the intent of blending the plant to the campus while minimizing the chilled water system disruption, especially through the intensity of a Carolina summer. Naturally, these decisions came with cost and schedule implications, making it essential to engage the WFU team on each of the decisions, equipping them with the context and justification to sell the project to leadership. The prominence of the elevated equipment further made the case for custom built field-erected towers to mitigate impacts to the surrounding area such as aesthetics and noise control.

Uninterrupted Service Through Electrical Design

A key element of the project was the redesign of the entire plant power feed. The medium voltage switch and transformers needed to be upsized as a result of the capacity increase and relocated to a more concealed location. Additionally, the footings for the large superstructure columns were in the path of the duct bank to the plant, which required the medium voltage rework be the first phase of the project. As a result, the new pad mounted switch and two 2,500 kVA transformers were the first items to be procured and installed.

Given the scale of operations and users on campus, emergency contingency planning was a central consideration of the engineering design approach, ensuring infrastructure was in place for little to no interruption to service under a variety of conditions. The plant is designed to still be at least partially operational even if one of its two 2,500 KV transformers goes offline, maintaining 2,400 tons of cooling to the campus. The South Plant is the larger of the two plants located on WFU’s campus, underscoring its importance especially during peak summertime electric and cooling times. The North Plant features 2,400 tons but can only carry the campus for about half the year.

Partnering with the Designer for Maximum Look & Efficiency

RMF worked closely alongside Michael Graves to integrate the vertical tower into the aesthetic language of the campus, seamlessly blending the addition into campus sightlines through a thoughtful approach to architecture and materiality.

The vertical addition needed to free-span the existing chiller plant, allowing the existing facility to be maintained while creating an adequate platform;for the proposed new infrastructure to be screened from view. Cladding the steel super-structure in traditional campus building materials was als necessary to give the addition an appropriate scale and context to the adjacent facilities. Michael Graves was selected primarily for their role in the adjacent athletic buildings, which they had designed and recently completed when work on the plant began. It was clear that attention to aesthetic detail would be critical in successfully blending a utility plant with the new athletics facilities, requiring a familiarity with the campus and its design language. Structural coordination proved to be a significant challenge for the project. Though the engineering largely focused on mechanical-electrical, putting a sizable steel superstructure around and over the building in coordination with the cooling towers was a delicate balancing act that required considerable planning from the inception of the design through construction. The location of each member required careful coordination in both functionality and appearance. The large columns facing outward to campus had to be symmetrical and aligned with the key tower load point and equipment access paths. The 40-inch-deep horizontal beams needed to be high enough to allow access to large piping hidden from view under the tower but also avoid a noticeable gap between the existing building and new structure. When cross bracing was needed between the columns, RMF’s in-house structural engineering team worked with Michael Graves to incorporate the look into the design, which added further character to the building.

Then there was the issue of the tower itself: blending a 110ft x 25ft x 40ft piece of mechanical equipment into the architectural context of the campus. This is where the benefits of a custom tower become apparent, as the design team was able to make every decision with intention, including the piping connections, enclosed access stairs, and air intake louver design. The use of fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) in the tower materials enabled the selection of custom colors, and the selected color was a precise match to the adjacent building. The front side of the towers were outfitted with an ultra-smooth, flat finish to facilitate eventual use as a billboard to display custom branded graphics. Finally, a detailed rendering was created which served as a useful tool for executive leadership communication as well as provided a vision for everyone on the construction team to follow as it was posted throughout the team trailer.

Since its completion, the changes to the plant have been well received by the WFU community, demonstrating the importance of close collaboration between engineering and architecture visions to deliver infrastructure improvements that are not only operationally efficient, but visually cohesive with the design language of its environment.

Takeaways and Insights

Planning for WFU’s chilled water modernization journey began in 2019, and the South Plant cooling tower replacement represents an important milestone for the long-term initiative. Through each phase of the project, the highly integrated team remained rooted in WFU’s commitment to resilience, efficiency and campus impact, and the need for addressing both functionality and aesthetics in the final approach. The upfront concept development was especially important, as it allowed the facilities team at WFU to establish a clear vision that could not have been conceived if the project only proposed funding on a replace-in-kind basis. The commitment to this vision was made even more apparent as the post-COVID supply chain issues challenged construction schedules and budgets.

This process included the engagement of WFU’s primary chiller plant operator, who was involved from the onset, providing a firsthand operations perspective that influenced the design. These professionals, who will work with the equipment every day for years to come, have the ability to think ahead, understanding what’s plausible for application, maintenance, and evolution. The mechanical and electrical expansion of WFU’s South Chiller Plant presents a compelling case that emphasizes the importance of advanced planning and collaboration between engineering teams and all other project partners, from architects and designers to university operations personnel. Through a deep understanding of each component’s impact and operations, the project successfully meets the intersectional needs of campus aesthetics, power, and maintenance, facilitating not only its successful execution, but its longevity as a reliable resource for years to come.

Photo Credit: Peter Brentlinger