Projects

The University of Texas System is moving forward with a bold, transformational plan to create a new university in South Texas, UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The plan will result in a single institution that spans the entire Rio Grande Valley, with facilities in the major metropolitan areas of Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen and McAllen, as well as presence throughout the entire region. The new university is eligible for funding from the Permanent University Fund.

The Academic Building will be built on the Brownsville campus. The 140,000 gross square foot facility will serve students throughout the region. The facility will be designed and constructed to provide space that is adaptable to new and future learning realities, pedagogies, and to serve students at two campuses. The facility will be built with new learning technologies so that students can take courses from the facilities of both campuses through the use of interactive technology.

The HVAC system consists of a variable air volume (VAV) system with terminal reheat as needed. A lab tracking VAV system is used for minimizing once through air. The air handling units have fan arrays served by two variable speed drives, each serving half the fans. The lab exhaust system includes redundant exhaust fans connect to a common header. The cooling coils in the air handling units receive chilled from the campus chilled water system. The existing central plant is upgraded to provide the additional cooling demand from the new Academic Building.

Electricity is provided from the local utility, Brownsville Public Utilities Board. A pad mount transformer provides 480Y/277V to the new Academic Building. A standby generator provides power to emergency loads. LED lighting is used.

In addition to domestic cold and hot water, sanitary sewer, storm water systems, and low flow plumbing fixtures, the building includes laboratory compressed air, vacuum, and high purity water systems. The building is fully sprinklered and has a fire pump.