The Science Phase II building currently under construction is going to be a good first step in Central reaching its goal of achieving carbon neutrality.

It is part of the goal for Central to become more “green.”

Science Phase II is able to help with that goal in part due to a bit of clever engineering done to heat the building via steam power.

The smoke stacks to the west of campus emits a large amount of wasted heat every day.

Over the course of last spring and summer quarter, large pipes were installed underground. The pipes will transfer that wasted head to head Science II with low temperature hot water, as well as the Samuelson Building, once funded.

None of the other buildings on campus can be retrofitted to the steam heating system, as it would require the whole mechanical system in the buildings to be rebuilt and a large monetary investment, said Joanne Hillemann, Central’s Facilities Planning and Construction Manager.

The state legislature and Central use Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification levels to determine how “green” a building is. There are several buildings on campus that are LEED certified. Dean Hall and the Hogue Technology Building have a LEED Gold certification, and the new Barto Hall is currently under review for a Platinum certification. Phase II is expected to get a silver certification, but according to Hillemann, if the building gets all the credits that they are aiming for, a gold rating isn’t out of the question.

The building will use LED lighting instead of fluorescent and incandescent, and there will be heat exchangers to take heat generated by the building and use it to warm the air that enters the building from the outside, according to Hillemann.

“We’re adding a huge building, and not buying any more gas,” Hillemann said.

Phase II was originally meant to be connected to the current Science Building, but Central did not get the total funding amount they requested when Science Phase I was started.

“This is the largest single project allocation that this university has had,” Hillemann said.

The university has requested funding for Phase II since 1998. The design funding was approved in 2011, and the funding for construction was approved in 2013. The university is expecting the building to be completed in fall of 2016.

“The contractors, if anything, are a little ahead of schedule,” Hillemann said.

The project is not expected to go over-budget, because the unforseen conditions have been taken care of, Hillemann said.

There have been several other buildings on campus that have been split up into two separate projects, according to Hillemann. The Hogue Technology building was funded in two phases, as well as the Music building.

“It’s taken a long time to get to where we are now, but we’re so pleased and feel very fortunate that legislature funded the project without splitting it in half,” Hillemann said.

The departments that will go in to Science II will vacate Lind Hall, Hillemann said. What will go in Lind Hall after Phase II’s completion is still in the air.

Hillemann said that student services functions, such as financial aid, could possibly go in Lind, although nothing has been set in stone yet.

The university has put in a $5 million budget request for renovations of Lind Hall to support whatever facilities end up there.

Future construction projects include the Samuelson Building, which could get funding approval in July of 2015, and a renovation of Bouillon Hall could be in the works as well, Hillemann said.