Seminary to build largest geothermal well field in NYC.

As part of an ongoing effort to preserve and restore its historic campus--an entire city block of Gothic Revival buildings and serene, gardenlike open space, set in the heart of the bustling Chelsea neighborhood--The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church will begin construction in autumn 2006 of an energy-efficient geothermal system.

With a current plan calling for 22 standing column wells, the Seminary's system will be the single largest geothermal well field in the New York City area and one of the city's larger sustainable design projects, providing 850 tons of heating and cooling to 260,000 square feet of buildings. Thanks to the new system, the Seminary will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tons a year.

Construction will begin in the wake of the June 2006 General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which passed a resolution recognizing the threat of global warming and encouraging the use of alternative fuels and sustainable technology.

"As stewards of both our Chelsea Square campus and of the glorious but fragile Earth we all share, we are investing in this geothermal system to benefit the Seminary, our neighbors, and our world for generations to come," commented the Very Reverend Ward B. Ewing, Dean and President of The General Theological Seminary. "This project ensures that a campus built for the ages will continue to serve through the ages. And it reminds us that we must work as hard to preserve the environment as we do to save our Seminary's historic buildings."

The geothermal system will permanently eliminate any need at the Seminary for exposed roof-level cooling towers, thereby helping to preserve the architectural integrity of the campus. Because the geothermal system is significantly cheaper to operate than the existing fossil fuel-based system, construction costs will be offset in just nine years--a very short period for an institution that has been in Chelsea since 1819. From the tenth year forward, the Seminary will enjoy a net savings in its operating budget.

According to Maureen Burnley, executive vice president for finance and operations, "The geothermal project is a wonderful balance of mission and economics. On the one hand, we are taking a leadership role in sustainable development. On the other, we are reducing operating costs while improving the physical fabric of our campus."

Geothermal heat pump systems make use of the constant temperature of the earth below the surface level. During the winter months, when the subsurface is warmer than the air above ground, the system transfers heat upward. During summer months, when the air is warmer than the subsurface, the heat is transferred down. Geothermal systems are inexpensive to operate and maintain, require no exposed outdoor equipment, and make a minimal impact on the environment.

Project architect Yetsuh Frank, RA, LEED AP, of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP, explained that the Seminary is planning to build a "field" of 22 standing column wells installed beneath the sidewalk surrounding the campus. These wells will take advantage of Manhattan's geology by tapping the ground water that flows through the seams and fractures of the island's bedrock. A steel casing runs from the surface down to the bedrock.

From there, an unlined bore hole, eight inches in diameter, is drilled to a depth of 1,500 feet. (The height of the Empire State Building, to the top of its lightning rod, is 1,453 feet.) Ground water, which maintains a temperature of about 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, is pumped out of the bore hole into a cellar mechanical room, where a heat-pump system either transfers heat to it during the warm months or pulls heat from it in cold weather. The water is then returned to the standing wells, where it loses any acquired heat to the ground water and to the cold stone bore holes.

Since 1999, the Seminary has invested some $9 million in restoring its landmark Chelsea Square campus. In summer 2005, the Seminary began renovating three of its historic buildings to house the new Desmond Tutu Education Center. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belie, the Center will create a Tenth Avenue entrance to the campus for the first time in the Seminary's long history, helping to open Chelsea Square to the city while contributing a gardenlike green space to the Avenue.

In another preservation project, the Seminary is proposing to construct a new mixed-use building along the Ninth Avenue side of the campus, to replace the seriously deteriorated, non-historic Sherrill Hall. The new building, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects and constructed in partnership with The Brodsky Organization, will provide the Seminary with urgently needed funds, unavailable through any other source, to save its historic buildings and maintain in perpetuity its green quadrangles.