KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Saginaw Valley State University is inviting the public to a ceremony to see the installation of the state’s largest aqua-thermal heating and cooling system.

More than 20 miles of coiled heat exchange units are being placed in water retention ponds as part of SVSU's new $28 million Health and Human Services Building scheduled to open in August 2010.

The system will be displayed for the public at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The environmentally friendly technology works to heat and cool the building by transferring heat through an underground loop to the coils which are submerged in the ponds.

In the summer, the loop transfers heat away from the building, which is absorbed by the pond. In the winter, the loop draws upon the latent warmth of the water to return heat.

"We are building this system because it is both good for the environment and good for SVSU," said Stephen Hocquard, assistant vice president for campus facilities.

When it opens next fall, the Health and Human Services building will contain 13 labs, 12 classrooms and office space in its nearly 90,000 square feet.

The State of Michigan provided 75 percent of the funding ($21 million) for the building; SVSU is supplying the remaining 25 percent ($7 million).