Warmer weather may be on its way, but KBE Building Corp. is focused on another source of heat. The firm is serving as construction manager at risk for the $5 million Connecticut College central heating plant improvements project.
The project, which recently began, comprises the removal of three aging boilers and their replacement with four new flexible watertube ones. Other supporting equipment, including de-aerators, pumps, and chemical treatment systems, will also be added and fed by a brand new electrical infrastructure.
Because of the heating plant's age, asbestos abatement must be completed before demolition can begin. KBE will oversee all minor structural and architectural modifications made to accommodate the renovations. The entire project is expected to be completed by late fall.
New London's Connecticut College is a private, co-ed institution founded more than 100 years ago. Highly selective, the school is a top producer of Fulbright winners among liberal arts colleges. "We're proud to build for a school as prestigious as Connecticut College," said KBE president and principal owner Mike Kolakowski.
The boiler isn't KBE's first project on the campus, however: The firm has overseen more than 300 facilities improvement, renovation, and addition projects there since 2005. In addition, KBE built Connecticut College's award-winning, LEED Gold-certified New London Hall Science Center and its LEED Silver-certified Fitness Center.