Campus-Wide Utility Upgrades and Horizon Hall

RMF was part of a significant underground utility infrastructure upgrade project for the Commonwealth of Virginia at George Mason University (GMU) driven by the construction of the new $150 million Horizon Hall, the new centerpiece of GMU’s Fairfax Campus. In addition to designing the utility infrastructure for Horizon Hall, the project included the design and replacement of approximately 18,000 linear feet of new underground chilled water piping ranging in size up to 30” diameter. 

RMF prepared detailed utility phasing plans that identified valve operation plans, enabling phases, and modeled back-flow scenarios so that the multi-year project could be constructed with minimal impact to the campus. The ten phases of construction were organized by RMF in a manner such that new critical segments were installed first to enable replacement of the existing undersized and aged utility legs without interruption to service. 

The phases also took into consideration the goal of dispersing construction activities to different geographical areas to minimize the simultaneous impact to any one site. The project also included replacement of 420°F high temperature hot water and state of the art smart light poles to support the new Wilkins Plaza.