Case Study

Austin Energy District
Cooling Plant

District Cooling Plant #3 is a chiller plant in downtown Austin providing 10,000 tons of cooling for a chilled water loop installed below city streets and made available to private development at competitive rates.

Over sixty buildings currently utilize the chilled water grid to provide air conditioning through the use of heat exchangers, eliminating the expense of installing AC systems in the buildings.

This cooling plant added capacity to the system and balanced the need created by significant development in Austin’s Eco District along Lady Bird Lake.

THE OPPORTUNITY

When Austin Energy needed to expand the capacity of their chilled water loop, they approached EEA Consulting Engineers to design the cooling plant. We worked as a consultant to EEA on the design for an otherwise unusable crescent of land between a railroad track and a high-rise apartment building.

CLIENT VISION

When Austin Energy needed to expand the capacity of their chilled water loop, they approached EEA Consulting Engineers to design the cooling plant. We worked as a consultant to EEA on the design for an otherwise unusable crescent of land between a railroad track and a high-rise apartment building.

PROJECT GOALS

The functionality of the building was critical to its success. The sole purpose is to house the equipment effectively, but the goal was to make the functionality beautiful as well.

THE DESIGN CHALLENGE

-Fit all the programmatic requirements in a very narrow site that is further impinged by two Capitol View Corridors.

-Design a building that was aesthetically pleasing from all angles – from the street and from the adjacent apartments.

-The equipment produces a large amount of water vapor, which negatively interacts with many common building materials.

-Ensure the noise output of the building met the decibel requirements from the local Neighborhood Association.

-Minimize the impact of construction on the surrounding neighborhood.

THE SOLUTION

We decided to celebrate the limitations imposed by the site and the enclosed equipment. The building is comprised of two volumes that follow the arc of the train track. The building grows in height where allowed by the View Corridors. The exact shapes of the volumes are determined by the equipment requirements; this functionality was a paramount consideration.

To maximize longevity and minimize maintenance, we prioritized natural, inert materials.

SERVICES PROVIDED

Architecture
Interior Design

THE RESULTS

EEA Consulting Engineers are supportive of the architectural process in these types of projects. They allowed us to respond to all the project stakeholders and the results speak for themselves.

  • Austin Energy is thrilled with the outcome and the design team. The building set a new standard for what a cooling plant could look like.

  • The Neighborhood Association is pleased with the project; it exceeded their noise requirements and is visually stunning. It has actually become a destination and Instagrammable moment in downtown Austin.

  • Based on the success of the Austin Energy Cooling Plant, EEA has included us on subsequent projects.