Case Completes Innovative MEP Design on New $41M St. Charles Workforce Innovation Center

Date Posted: November 4, 2025

Posted In: Ideas, Projects, What we are thinking about,

An innovative ice-storage HVAC system—engineered both for efficiency and as a hands-on teaching tool—is at the heart of Case Engineering’s Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) design for St. Charles Community College’s new Regional Workforce Innovation Center in Wentzville, MO.

The 48,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-targeted facility is the first building on SCC’s new 55-acre campus and anchors the college’s effort to prepare the region’s workforce for in-demand careers in technology, advanced manufacturing, sustainable energy, healthcare, and more.

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Opened Oct. 3, the $41 million Regional Workforce Innovation Center includes classrooms, labs, and shops where SCC will launch programs offering hands-on training in advanced manufacturing — including battery technology, electric and autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, robotics, and high-tech processes. The facility also features a “Make-it Center”, where middle and high school students can explore emerging technologies such as 3-D printing and robotic systems. Students will have pathways to earn associate degrees and certificates in advanced manufacturing and other skilled trades.

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Case Engineering partnered with the architect on the project, St. Louis-based JEMA, to design mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for the two-story, state-of-the-art facility. One of the unique features of the building’s mechanical design is its eco-friendly HVAC system, which allows the building to be heated and cooled utilizing an ice storage system.

How System Works

Here’s how it works:

• Ice Production: During off-peak hours (usually at night), electricity is used to freeze water in a thermal energy storage tank, creating ice using chillers.
• Energy Storage: The ice acts as a thermal battery, storing the cold energy until it is needed.
• Cooling Application: During peak hours (typically during the day), the stored ice is melted to provide cooling. The cold water or air produced from the melting ice is circulated through the building’s HVAC system to cool the indoor environment.
• Heat Recovery: During the ice-making process, chillers generate waste heat. This waste heat can be captured and used for heating purposes. Advanced thermal management systems can integrate ice-based thermal energy storage with heat pump chillers. Heat pump chillers transfer heat from one place to another, using the cold energy stored in ice for cooling in addition to using the energy generated during ice production for heating.

Received Tax Credit

The college received a 40% tax credit through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act for construction of the ice storage system, which is one of the first in the area utilized for both heating and cooling.

“While the capital cost of installing this type of system may be higher initially, by shifting the energy costs to non-peak periods, the college will reduce its overall utility expenses. In addition to providing an environmentally friendly HVAC solution, it also makes for an innovative, firsthand learning tool for students attending the college,” said Case Engineering Principal/Mechanical Engineer James Eyre, P.E., LEED.

Other eco-friendly aspects of the facility’s MEP design include LED and day lighting, plus occupancy lighting sensors and low-flush toilets.

The general contractor on the project was River City Construction of East Peoria, IL.