Geothermal Groundwork Complete on Denver-area IKEA Store

IKEA Centennial will be the State of Colorado’s Largest Geothermal Building

TIME.com: Digging Deep for Smarter Heat Article

CENTENNIAL, CO – IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today noted underground geothermal work is complete on its future Denver-area store – which will be Colorado’s largest single building with geothermal heating/cooling. Achieving this belowground milestone enables construction of the store’s foundation and structure to advance. Remaining geothermal work will be incorporated into the building construction of the IKEA store.
IKEA Centennial will be the first U.S. IKEA store to integrate a geothermal system. This technology involves drilling 130 holes – each 5.5 inches wide and 500 feet deep – into the earth for pipes holding heat-transferring liquid circulating through underground loops to either warm-up or cool-down the temperature inside the store. The depth of the holes was determined based on soil conditions, thermal conductivity tests and the large amount of liquid needed for the heating and cooling loads of the 415,000 s.f. store.

“This innovative approach is consistent with our commitment to sustainable building practices whenever feasible,” said Doug Greenholz, IKEA U.S real estate manager. “It also reflects the values of the many Colorado customers who are excited for us to open.”
IKEA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to study geothermal efficiency in large-scale buildings. NREL’s monitoring and data will help IKEA make decisions about adding different mixtures to the liquid, tempering the flow, adding more pumps or an additional cooling system. NREL’s database will be open to researchers around the world to use for their models.

In addition to 10,000 exclusively-designed items, IKEA Centennial will present 50 different room settings, three complete model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 500-seat restaurant. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. IKEA Centennial will offer services such as home delivery, furniture assembly, kitchen installation and in-store consultations.

IKEA Centennial is under construction on 13.5 acres along the western side of Interstate 25, north of the Park Meadows area, accessible from connections to Dry Creek Road and County Line Road exits. When the store opens in Fall 2011, it will welcome 400 new coworkers into the IKEA family. IKEA also will create 500 construction jobs and generate significant tax revenue for local governments and schools.

IKEA incorporates sustainable efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. For more information, go to IKEA-USA.com.