Just when students thought they had seen the end of construction on the Quad, an unforeseen problem has brought heavy machinery back to the center of campus.
Construction workers are fixing a malfunction in the geothermal heating and cooling system responsible for temperature control in the Walker Art Building. They are also adding a component to prevent future glitches.
Geothermal heating utilizes the earth's internal heat to regulate temperature in buildings by drilling wells into bedrock. To cool a building, hot air is pumped into the well, cooled and then pumped into the building.
"You're using the temperature of the earth as a heat sink," explained Don Borkowski, director of capital projects.
A crack in the bedrock below the third well, an uncommon but not unprecedented problem, precipitated the repairs. Workers needed to drill down an extra five feet to fix it. College officials also decided to add another well to the existing four to accomodate any future problems.
"Our engineer thinks it's good to have a backup while we have the rigs out there," said Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Katy Longley.
Although engineers forecasted that the repair would take three days, it only took two. Longley said that the equipment, on the Quad since September 17, will be removed by October 2.
Longley sent out a campuswide e-mail addressing the situation on September 15.
In the e-mail, she explained that, Bowdoin will be working with its contractors to minimize disruption during repairs.
Though Longley admitted that the equipment is unsightly, she said she does not think it has been disruptive.
The noise generated by this construction has been minimal, she said, and has not disturbed classes. According to Longley and Borkowski, while one professor was initially worried about the noise level, no other concerns have been voiced.
When the art museum was redesigned during the past three years, the old steam system of temperature regulation was preserved, but enhanced with geothermal technology. Geothermal wells allow the museum's temperature control to be improved, and do not require the burning of fossil fuels.
This geothermal project is Bowdoin's fourth: Studzinski Recital Hall, Osher Hall, West Hall?and now the art museum?are all geothermally regulated.
"We have more geothermal projects than many other schools in the Northeast," said Longley.