Activity Center's Eco-Friendly System Engineering Honored by ACEC-Colorado
11/17/05 - Denver, Colorado - Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers, Inc. has been awarded a 2006 Engineering Excellence Honor Award for the Devil's Thumb Ranch Activity Center project by the Colorado Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. BGCE provided engineering for the new facility's mechanical and electrical systems, including a geothermal heat pump system, which harnesses approximately 2/3 of the energy required by this facility from the earth, reducing the facility's reliance on conventional energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions. This mixed-use facility located in Tabernash, Colorado consists of a wedding chapel; a large restaurant, bar and dining area; a wine room and uncorking room; a meeting room; office and support spaces; retail and cross-country skiing and snow shoe rental spaces; a day spa; locker rooms; and an exterior pool and spa. Additionally, the Owner sought to develop a large pond on the site, a key element in the geothermal heat pump system.
A geothermal heat pump system exploits the fairly constant temperature of the earth, usually at a depth of four to six feet, and/or water to either heat or cool circulating fluid that will either heat or cool air for space conditioning, heat fluid for snowmelting, pre-heat domestic hot water, etc. Though conceived in the 1940's, only with innovations in materials and equipment in the past few years has this eco-friendly concept been able to make the leap into practical use.
BGCE has been providing mechanical, electrical, technology, lighting, and sustainable design services since 1991. The firm specializes in the design of resort, commercial, residential, healthcare, education, recreation, and community facilities throughout the United States from its four offices in Vail, Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado, and Lake Tahoe, California.
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