January 30, 2025
Swarthmore College's Upgrades Advance Sustainability
A previous version of the article below appeared in the First Quarter 2025 issue of District Energy Magazine. To learn more about District Energy or read the full publication, please visit the website. Subscriptions are FREE.
An urgent and conscientious mission is on track at Swarthmore College
Upgrading the old, protecting the beloved, and installing the new
By James Adams, Brian Murphy and Stephen Pollard
At Swarthmore College on the edge of suburban Philadelphia, campus leaders are pushing forward with infrastructure and decarbonization initiatives in service of the school’s commitment to environmental sustainability while addressing the challenges of aging infrastructure.
Geo-exchange technology, renewable energy sources and comprehensive utility upgrades – including those not directly related to decarbonization – are unfolding in a way that allows for Swarthmore to meet future needs while preserving its historic character and natural beauty.
The project exemplifies how collaboration between campus staff, engineers, landscape architects and contractors can work together to create a resilient campus for generations to come.
RMF Engineering was responsible for the fourth and final phase of the campus Energy Plan Implementation Project, assessing and designing the infrastructure required for low-temperature hot- and chilled-water systems. The work involved extending piping from the existing utility tunnel at Parrish Hall to the north side of Kohlberg Hall, interfacing with North Campus hot water infrastructure projects.
The project began with extensive fieldwork, including topographic surveys, records analysis, closed-circuit television inspections and test pitting to assess existing infrastructure. Collaboration between Swarthmore’s facilities team and RMF’s design group proved crucial, as the college’s institutional knowledge helped identify previously undocumented utilities on campus. Swarthmore’s geographical information system database was vital in supporting conceptual planning. One particular challenge of the project was protection of arboretum trees.
Adding Efficiency Upgrades, Replacing Aged Infrastructure
To make the best of site disturbances, Swarthmore chose as part of the work to address some of its highest priority deferred maintenance items as well. Outdated infrastructure, including water lines installed in 1911 and sewer lines and manholes dating from 1865, were replaced in conjunction with new energy systems. Many of these deferred items were in deteriorated, but still serviceable, condition and had been marked for replacement for several years.
Upgrades were accomplished by the installation of a combined utility corridor around the east side of Parrish Hall, which minimized impact to campus operations, surface features and the mature trees that define the arboretum. The corridor consists of 12-inch low temperature hot water supply-and-return pipes, 14-inch chilled water supply-and-return pipes, a 15-inch storm drain, a four-way (5-inch) telecommunications duct bank and a 12-inch water line.
A phased work approach was essential so the campus could continue to operate. Many buildings had intermittent usage, allowing for projects to be performed during off-peak periods. Parrish Hall, with its mailroom, administration offices and dormitories, was always in demand, however. Effective communication of project phasing was accomplished by way of announcements, signage and electronic messaging. Accommodations for mobility-challenged students and staff during construction were critical.
The campus is home to Scott Arboretum, a beloved and nationally acclaimed botanical collection with over 4,000 varieties of ornamental plants and trees. Meticulous project planning and collaboration was required across the arboretum’s extensive grounds to protect the flora. The design team included a landscape architect who provided design and plant protection expertise, collaborating with the college’s arborist and RMF to ensure minimal impact on trees and other plants during construction. Air spading, root pruning, vertical mulching, pre-fertilization and designated construction-access roads helped mitigate damage.
Founded in 1864 by members of the Religious Society of Friends, Swarthmore College is a private, nonsectarian liberal arts institution renowned for its academic programs. The college has 1,730 students. Its 73 buildings are spread across 425 acres in Swarthmore Borough, Pa., approximately 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia. The picturesque campus, in addition to being the arboretum’s home, features rolling lawns, creeks, wooded hills and hiking trails. It is bisected by the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Media/Elwyn regional rail line.
At the heart of the campus stands Parrish Hall, the college’s first building, originally constructed in 1869 and rebuilt after a fire in 1881. Parrish serves as both an administrative hub and a dormitory, situated at the top of Magill Walk, a tree-lined promenade extending southeast across the campus. The walk is bordered by open lawns, academic buildings and dormitories. As project work commenced, the existing utility infrastructure around Parrish Hall had reached the end of its useful life, leading to capacity and redundancy issues. Critical utilities installed to satisfy past needs for sanitary sewer, storm drainage, telecommunications, water and electrical demands had sustained failures resulting in service outages, sewage backups and poor drainage, prompting comprehensive evaluations and projections meant to support the college’s evolving needs.
Several Items in the Works to Meet 2035 Net-Zero Goal
In alignment with its sustainability goals, Swarthmore College is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, according to its October 2019 Energy Master Plan, "Roadmap to Zero." Ambitious targets in the $69 million initiative necessitate a full transition to renewable, combustion-free energy sources, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Key installations in the works include:
- An all-electric dining and community commons;
- A full backup electric supply;
- A centralized geo-exchange heating and cooling system;
- A campuswide low-temperature hot and chilled water distribution network.
Swarthmore plans to harness both on-campus and off-campus renewable electric sources, including solar and wind. A geo-exchange heating and cooling system will be a central component in the transition, replacing existing high-pressure steam infrastructure, which currently relies on natural gas combustion, to provide heating of campus buildings. Powered by renewable electricity, heat recovery chillers will transfer thermal energy seasonally, removing excess heat from buildings in summer for cooling and storing it underground for extraction for winter heating.
The geo-exchange system will operate with vertical wells containing closed-loop pipes. During the summer, fluid will travel these pipes to deposit heat into the ground; in winter, the process reverses, with the Earth’s heat extracted and redistributed to campus buildings.
A dedicated geo-exchange plant, located in the basement of the Dining and Community Commons building, manages this flow, housing the pumps, tanks and controls necessary for circulating and distributing energy efficiently. At individual buildings, HVAC systems will transform this thermal energy into heating and cooling.
The college’s Office of Sustainability, through its climate change working group, has bigger ambitions too. Once Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are curbed – those from on-site energy production and offsite generation sources – plans are for Swarthmore to crack down on Scope 3 emissions, which include business travel, commuting and commercial delivery activity.
James Adams is director of sustainable maintenance at Swarthmore.jadams3@swarthmore.edu
Brian Murphy is a project engineer at RMF Engineering, where he specializes in design documents for new and replacement underground utilities and frequently uses 3D visualization software to solve complex problems in which multiple conduits, pipes and ducts compete for space beneath streets and sidewalks. brian.murphy@rmf.com
Stephen Pollard, PE, is an RMF project engineer who designs district energy utilities in difficult environments – those with high water tables, challenging soils, dense utility corridors, aggressive installation schedules and sensitive landscaping. stephen.pollard@rmf.com