BOZEMAN, MT — Multidisciplinary design firm Cushing Terrell has been awarded a multi-year, multi-phase contract to develop a campus-wide energy master plan and targeted projects to help Montana State University (MSU) increase its energy efficiency.

Cushing Terrell will assist MSU with its continued progress to design, construct, and maintain buildings on its campus with unprecedented levels of energy efficiency. A large part of this effort will include comprehensive energy planning for existing and future buildings, creating energy districts, and leveraging heat pumps and geothermal technology.

Romney Hall benefits from the new geothermal system beneath Romney Oval, which also will serve other nearby buildings on campus.

In partnership with McKinstry's EcoDistrict group, HDR, Major Geothermal, and Practical Energy Management, Cushing Terrell will develop the overall master plan and identify projects to support energy district integration and the infrastructure needed to connect with the geothermal fields below campus, as well as employ overall energy reduction and reuse strategies.

The work by Cushing Terrell and partners will assist the university in meeting its goals of attaining a STARS Platinum rating by 2035 and becoming carbon neutral by 2040, as outlined in the university's sustainability framework. STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance, and Platinum is the highest level in the program.

"As an MSU alum, I'm excited to work with the university on a project as forward-thinking as this one," said Alex Russell, Director of Energy Services for Cushing Terrell. "MSU continues to push the envelope with their commitment to a sustainable future. Having the opportunity to help shape how the campus operates for the next hundred years and beyond is something I couldn't have dreamed of as an engineering student all those years ago."