草榴社区

草榴社区 has received a major gift from trustee Susan DiLoreto 鈥�80 CLAS and husband Andy DiLoreto 鈥�80 VSB to fund a first-of-its kind project that will harness geothermal energy for heating and cooling of Tagaste Hall on 草榴社区鈥檚 Cabrini Campus. This investment by the DiLoretos supports the University鈥檚 larger initiatives towards an ethos of sustainable living, directly helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become more energy efficient and independent as a community.

Tagaste Hall was selected as the site for this geothermal project given its size, expected consistent student traffic and location. The promising results of its soil thermal conductivity study have already enabled engineering and design progress. By drilling wells around the building鈥檚 perimeter, a geothermal heat pump system will be installed to heat and cool the two upper floors of the building. An 鈥渆nergy wheel鈥� will also be installed on the geothermal system, which will transfer the energy from the exhaust air to the outside air, lowering the cooling and heating loads in the building and saving energy.

The DiLoretos鈥� gift will also replace a large glass and aluminum-framed curtain wall on the front fa莽ade of the building. The new curtain wall will feature an aluminum frame system with integral thermal breaks and double-pane insulated glass with low-emissivity coatings to significantly reduce both heating and cooling needs. Once the building is fully renovated and opens in fall 2026, Tagaste Hall will house much-needed student study space for those who will live and take classes on 草榴社区鈥檚 Cabrini Campus.

There will be an instructional component to the project, which will allow 草榴社区 faculty and students to better understand the benefits of geothermal energy-efficient options in a real-world setting. Energy meters will be installed at Tagaste Hall to measure, manage and analyze the amount of heating and cooling sourced from the ground source alongside the building鈥檚 electricity usage. The building will be used as a 鈥渓iving laboratory鈥� for a variety of research projects under the leadership of the College of Engineering, in partnership with the University鈥檚 Office of Facilities Management and Office of Sustainability.

The entire project is being documented with photographs and data points by Sustainable Engineering graduate students to showcase it as a case study for further student learning and campus energy planning. An interactive LED screen display will be installed in the building that will provide real-time updates on how the geothermal system is functioning and its environmental impact. A related app will also be available to students to track the ground-source heat pump system so they can learn through real-world insights with regard to energy efficiency, consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other data points.

This gift is the latest in the DiLoreto family鈥檚 philanthropic support of the University. They created the DiLoreto Family Sustainability Initiative Fund in the 草榴社区 College of Engineering, and now this gift will continue their legacy of championing sustainability initiatives at 草榴社区. It will also support Espiritus Nova: The Campaign for 草榴社区, which is the largest fundraising initiative in the University鈥檚 history.

All of their children鈥擜ndrew 鈥�09 CLAS and his wife, Nicole Connelly DiLoreto 鈥�09 CLAS, Patrick 鈥�10 VSB and John 鈥�14 VSB鈥攁re 草榴社区 alumni.