Setting the Stage for the Net-Zero Campus
Princeton University, High Performance Campus Infrastructure Projects
Higher Education
With the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by its 300th anniversary in 2046, Princeton University is overhauling how energy is supplied to every building on its campus, while mobilizing to meet ambitious targets around alternative commuting, water use reduction, and responsible design and development. To help meet these commitments, ZGF is working with the University on four important infrastructure projects that are integral to its sustainability goals.
Phasing Out Natural Gas, Investing in Geo-Exchange
TIGER: The wild cat serves not only as Princeton’s emblematic mascot but also the acronym of its two new central energy facilities. Located in Princeton’s Stadium and Meadows neighborhoods respectively, TIGER and TIGER CUB (TIGER stands for thermally integrated geo-exchange resource; CUB stands for central utility building) will house the heat pumps and electrical equipment needed for the campus’s new geo-exchange systems. Geo-exchange is the highly efficient process of taking heat out of buildings in the summer, storing it underground, and retrieving that stored heat to warm buildings in the winter.
The TIGER and TIGER CUB will connect to two fields in their respective neighborhoods with more than 1,200 cumulative bores, some up to 850-feet deep, which act as thermal batteries to store seasonal heat far below ground. Two new thermal energy storage (TES) tanks will adjoin each facility, storing a ready supply of water to heat and cool campus on a daily basis. In combination with on-site and off-site solar PV power generation, these integrated systems will support Princeton’s transition away from fossil fuel combustion and will be used by the campus for the next 100 years. By harvesting and storing heat instead of rejecting it via cooling towers, Princeton’s new systems will dramatically reduce potable water use as well.
Location
Princeton, New Jersey
Completion date
2023
Project Component
Architecture services
Clad in industrial metal panel, TIGER’s rectilinear form is crowned with an elegant glass cube over the equipment area—a visible beacon of Princeton's commitment to sustainable energy production and use of natural daylight.
While many universities view their energy infrastructure as “back-of-house” equipment they should hide, Princeton boldly elected to site TIGER and TIGER CUB at two prominent campus gateways. This decision was twofold: the selected sites have a functional role in enabling growth within the expanding Stadium and Meadows neighborhoods, while also allowing Princeton to create visibility around its energy transition and path to Net Zero.
Rather than hide their equipment, TIGER and TIGER CUB are designed to showcase their systems, serve as a teaching tool, and educate the campus and community on sustainable energy production. While each building was crafted as a thoughtful response to its unique site conditions, landscape, and campus context, the two projects share an emphasis on transparency. Expanses of glazing will welcome passersby to peek inside and observe innovative systems at work. Colorful annotated pipes and equipment will invite a moment of discovery. Both facilities are pursuing LEED certification and incorporate passive systems to heat and cool the equipment they house.
A reflection of its setting, the TIGER CUB anticipates future student housing planned for the Meadows neighborhood. With its triple gable roof and reduced scale, the building embodies a softer, pastoral expression.
Transforming Commuting Culture
In addition to its energy transition, Princeton is equally focused on mitigating the impact of campus commuting and transportation. The university aims to double its percentage of alternative commuters by mid-century, expand access to on-campus transportation services, and support more widespread use of electric vehicles. Two new garages will be sited adjacent to the TIGER and TIGER CUB and will encourage campus commuters and visitors to access the rest of campus via sustainable modes of transportation. An enclosed Transit Hub, located on the ground-floor of the Stadium Drive Garage, will provide space where Princetonians can borrow bikes, wait for a shuttle, and embark on their campus experience. Incentivizing the use of electric vehicles, the garages will contain a combined 104 charging stations.
A Holistic Approach to Responsible Development
Princeton approached the planning of its infrastructure projects with the understanding that one parcel of land has the potential to be used on multiple levels—below ground, at ground, and above the structure. The new Stadium Drive Garage will sit over top geo-exchange borefields, provide parking at and above ground, and eventually be crowned with arrays of solar photovoltaic panels. The Meadows Drive Garage is also designed to accommodate a solar array in the future. In leveraging every opportunity each site presents to maximize resource efficiency and advance Princeton's net-zero goals, the two garages exemplify an advanced model of responsible land development.
The Stadium Drive Garage Transit Hub’s laminated timber canopy fosters a warm, welcoming environment
Light and ethereal in character, the Meadows Drive Garage is wrapped in a fabric mesh sculpted into an undulating form. Uplighting will cast a variegated pattern of illumination and shadow to evoke movement.
Though unique in their individual designs, these four projects are united in their purpose of setting the stage for Princeton’s next phase of growth, while advancing the University's commitment to sustainable energy use and responsible development. Together, they offer a compelling example of how infrastructure projects can advance missions, embody values, and create distinct identity for the institutions they serve.
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