North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) serves more than 8,300 undergraduate and graduate students at their 135-acre campus in Durham, NC. Faced with a growing student body and a pressing need for more on-campus housing, NCCU planned to build a new residence hall to complement the historic Chidley Main Hall complex. The building had to be a safe and comfortable learning environment for students, and as North Carolina state law now stipulates that any new construction on state university campuses must be designed to operate with 30 percent greater energy efficiency over the baseline set in ASHRAE 90.1-2004, the university sought heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment that provided superior efficiency and reliable performance. The university hoped to attain LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the new hall.

Project Solution

North Carolina Central University selected two 200-ton Carrier AquaForce® 30XW water-cooled screw chillers to provide cooling to the new 110,489 square foot residence, Chidley North. With 528 beds, the four-story facility provides 241 double-occupancy rooms with private bath, eleven single rooms for resident advisors, six ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) accessible suites, a computer lab, multimedia classroom, two-story atrium and multiple laundry, kitchen and study facilities for residents. Suites feature Carrier AirStream™ 42C horizontal fan coil units, which students can adjust +/- 4°F for their comfort. Thanks to efficiency-focused design in envelope, lighting and HVAC parameters, Chidley North has exceeded its projected energy savings of 35 percent to return a 68 percent savings, for a total of 11,135 kBtu saved annually, or $185,123 saved in energy costs per year. The residence obtained LEED Gold certification.