Kenny’s Role at the NSF Ice Core Facility

Progress is well underway at the Denver Federal Center. Building 810, is being retrofitted to accommodate the new NSF-ICF facility. This will replace the original structure, built in 1993, addressing aging infrastructure and evolving space requirements.

The new NSF-ICF facility will include specialized refrigerated warehouse areas such as an ice core storage room, staging area, examination room, and vestibule, ensuring optimal conditions for storage and research. Additional spaces will feature refrigeration equipment areas, storage and shop spaces with fenced storage, and shop areas. Office and support spaces including an entry hall, dressing rooms, meeting rooms, and offices will provide a collaborative environment for staff. The facility also incorporates loading and shipping areas, including a dock area, forklift space, and the existing building’s loading dock.

Kenny is partnering with Willmeng Construction from Phoenix, Arizona. Our scope includes demolition, distribution systems, a generator, UPS systems, grounding and bonding, lighting, branch power, fire alarm, and security systems. Our team’s efforts ensure that the new facility is meets modern standards while supporting its critical mission.

We are proud to play a key role in bringing this important facility to life.

Location: Lakewood, CO
General Contractor: Willmeng Construction
Project Owner: NSF-ICF
Type of Project: Security

Why the NSF-ICF is Important

The NSF-ICF is the world’s largest ice core storage facility, with its main storage room measuring 55,000 cubic feet. This space is crucial for preserving ice cores that date back millions of years.

A specialized drill cuts a cylindrical section of ice, known as a core, which is then brought to the surface. The extracted ice core is carefully removed from the drill and handled carefully to avoid contamination or damage.

The facility includes an exam room maintained at -24°C, allowing scientists to examine the ice cores without compromising their integrity. This offers insights into historical environmental changes.

The following acknowledgment highlights Kenny Electric’s ability to rise to any occasion with skill, efficiency, and dedication, solidifying its reputation as a trusted leader in electrical construction.

For those who have not heard the update, the new generator completed its commissioning yesterday and it is hooked into the existing ATS acting as the existing freezer’s backup generator. I cannot thank everyone enough for coming together so quickly to help us make this idea a reality in under a week’s time.

Special thanks go to Tyler Fox and Michal Predota at Kenny Electric for, once again, making the impossible, possible. Your team has consistently gone above and beyond to support the project and its partners, and we’re all very thankful for your nimbleness and professionalism with our challenging and unique requests.

Thank you, again, everyone.

Brian Carroll, Senior Project Manager at Willmeng Construction