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Like an invention from a Steampunk novel, the 1940s-era Central Power Station at the University of Oregon needed to be time-traveled into the 21st century. With an eye toward an efficient and timely upgrade, the university turned to a project team led by general contractor Turner Construction.

The 28,000-square-foot power station needed steam delivery pressure increased from 20 psi to 60 psi. In order to hit that mark, plans called for a new boiler, structural upgrades to existing components to accommodate new equipment, and a full replacement of all electoral equipment and wiring. In the process, the project team was asked to also create modern office spaces, maintenance shops, a break room, a library and restrooms with shower facilities.

Turner and its team upgraded more than 50 pressure-reducing valves in almost every building on the university鈥檚 Eugene campus. The team also added more than 7,500 lineal feet of chilled-water piping and 8,000 lineal feet of primary electrical cable.

The new systems are all integrated, which allows the plant鈥檚 operations team to track and control all of the major equipment from a single control room. Information gathered will allow the university to collect real-time information to track trends and efficiency.

Because all of the campus鈥� electricity and steam originates from the plant, interruptions during construction had to be minimized. Turner and its crew worked closely with the plant鈥檚 operations team to schedule any necessary shut-downs at times when they would least impact students and faculty. Some of those shutdowns were actually planned months ahead of time to allow as much preparation time as possible.

鈥淓ssentially, Turner performed open-heart surgery on a patient that was still awake and moving,鈥� the company wrote in its TopProjects entry.