Massie Road Utility Upgrades Support UVA Growth

About This Project

The Massie Road Plant at the University of Virginia, was completed in 2006, and coincided with the opening of the John Paul Jones arena which is located next to it and completed at the same time. The Massie Road Plant not only provides the heating, cooling and ventilation requirements for JPJ, but other buildings such as the McCue Center, the new Olympic Center and other facilities along the IVY Corridor. The JPJ arena has not only held all home basketball games for both UVA Men’s and Women’s teams, but also multiple concerts, trade shows, community events and other UVA meetings. The McCue Center has had several expansions including an 8,000 sf weight room along with training clinics and staff offices. The additional utility demands meant some major upgrades would be needed at the Massie Road facility.

Waco was selected as the primary contractor to complete the hot water and chilled water expansion. This involved demolition of air handling units, partial removal of walls and the replacement of sections of the decorative louvers built into the facility’s unique design. The installation of pumps, expansion tanks, separators, large bore piping 6 to 16 inches in diameter along with new valves, fittings and insulation with color coded PVC jacketing kept several Waco crews busy for months. Coordinating the right time to perform system shutdowns so that new piping could be tied in to existing systems required constant communication with UVA personnel and strict attention to details. Waco’s ability to be flexible with UVA’s requirements and our depth of experienced managers and foremen provided a safe and successful job, completed ahead of schedule.