An extensive $18.5 million upgrade of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems adds 30 years of life to Weber State's popular Dee Events Center

By Milt Harrison

Sustainability and Energy Performance

At its core, the Dee Events Center MEP Upgrade is a sustainability project. It directly advances Weber State University's master plan for electrification and its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040, building on the university's earlier, award-winning energy-efficiency initiatives.

The scope consolidated four aging fan rooms into two, freeing the remaining space to be repurposed for lounges and other higher-value uses within the

arena. Ancillary spaces throughout the building were converted to hybrid variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, while plumbing, fire protection, lighting and electrical infrastructure were replaced or upgraded throughout the facility.

Combined with a new geothermal heat pump system, the upgrades allow the building to move away from gas-fired equipment toward all-electric heating and cooling, substantially reducing site emissions while improving comfort and reliability for the thousands of fans, students and community members who use the building each year.

A Massive Geothermal Bore Field

One of the project's most innovative and defining features is Lynk's ground-source geothermal system. A bore field consisting of 285 boreholes, each roughly 390 to 400 feet deep, was installed beneath the arena's east-side parking lot and connected through an extensive underground piping network.

The closed-loop system circulates water between the building's mechanical equipment and the bore field, drawing on the earth's relatively constant temperature to reject heat in summer and provide heat in winter. Combined with high-efficiency heat pumps, the system can deliver several times more usable heating and cooling energy than the electricity required to operate it.

The scale of the bore field alone sets the project apart. For comparison, Lynk also designed a high-efficiency geothermal system for Weber State's Noorda Engineering Building, which relies on a 175-borehole field. The Dee Events Center's 285-borehole system is significantly larger, reflecting both the size and demands of the arena and the ambition of the university's electrification goals.

“What makes this project and geothermal system unique is its scale,” said Jarrett Capstick, Project Manager and COO of Mechanical Engineering for Lynk. “The number and size of the boreholes was highly unusual. Here we installed 285, each roughly 400 feet deep, all beneath the east parking lot. That’s a geothermal field sized to match one of the largest and most heavily used buildings in the region. This system moves the Dee Events Center off gas-fired equipment and onto a system where the heat pumps are delivering several times the energy we’re putting into them.”

Staying Operational During Construction

Few university arenas of this size undergo an MEP renovation of this magnitude while remaining substantially operational. Construction was carefully phased to allow the building to continue hosting events, requiring extensive coordination among the design team, contractor, and university to work around game schedules and periods of full or partial building closure.

Most importantly, the Wildcats didn't miss a game during the season—a significant accomplishment given the extent of work occurring behind the scenes.
Ultimately, the project breathed new life into the arena's most critical systems while positioning the Dee Events Center to serve Weber State and the surrounding community for decades to come.

“It’s a significant step toward the university’s carbon-neutrality goals,” added Capstick. “As an approximation, instead of the heating and cooling system being 90% efficient, it’s likely closer to 400% to 500% efficient.”

—Marianne Jenks of Lynk Engineers contributed significantly to this article.