Siegfried provided civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying services for the Central Utility Plant (CUP) Upgrade at UC Merced, a critical infrastructure project that increased the campus’s cooling capacity and enhanced system reliability—all while maintaining operations on an active site.
This upgrade expanded the Central Utility Plant by 2,500 tons, correcting existing operational deficiencies and preparing the campus for future growth. Key improvements included the installation of two new chiller units to increase capacity and improve operational flexibility, VFD and compressor upgrades for existing chillers, and enhancements to the chilled water chemical treatment system, including upgraded piping and a hazardous materials containment system.
Additional project components included the addition of row cooling to support the Telecommunication Center, upgrades to the campus water system with RPBFP, 12″ underground piping, and the installation of a storage tank bypass system to improve reliability and flow control.
Siegfried played a critical role in utility coordination and site logistics, working closely with project partners to ensure emergency power remained operational throughout construction, telecom systems stayed live, and a bypass was constructed to support continuous water service—all within a fully functioning and occupied campus environment.
This high-performance infrastructure project supports UC Merced’s long-term sustainability goals and contributes to the campus’s LEED Gold certification standards. Siegfried collaborated with Otto Construction and Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) to bring this essential project to life.
