Building to get business-casual look
A project currently underway on the north side of the George S. Eccles Business Building, located on the south end of USU’s campus, will extend the steam tunnel system that runs 15 feet under the college’s sidewalks.
Construction on the lot will not end there.
Once completed, the steam tunnels will contribute to a planned 30,000-square-foot extension of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business Building. The $42 million project was approved on Jan. 16. Business school leaders’ goals are to bring in new classrooms, study rooms and students to the department.
Joe Beck, an architect for the USU Facilities Department, said excavation for the four-story building will begin in May.
“The building will wrap around the west and south side of the existing business building,” Beck said.
Building plans feature a central courtyard that will provide natural lighting. The design will maintain the separation between modern and historic buildings on campus. Lund Hall, built in 1935, will be demolished in late September to accommodate this new extension.
Beck said the project has already been paid for.
“A lot of funding comes from private donation to the Huntsman School of Business,” Beck said. “A portion of it is also coming from The State of Utah Division of Facilities and Construction Management.”
Dave Patel, an assistant dean for the Huntsman School of Business, said the extension is desperately needed for the amount of students enrolled in the department.
“It was built for about 1,000 students and we’ve got 2,000,” Patel said. “It’s been over capacity for two decades.”
Patel said the extension will include 20 classrooms and 22 study rooms.
“It’s really about more adequate facilities for our students,” Patel said. “This is going to be a great new addition not only for the business school but for all students at USU.”
The steam tunnel extension presently under construction will provide steam for heating and chilled water for air conditioning for the new building. This pipeline is being added onto a 1.2-mile system that runs under USU’s campus and provides 260,000 pounds of steam each hour. Construction for this portion is intended to conclude in mid-February. The business building extension is projected to be completed in the spring of 2015.
– jhinrichs2002@gmail.com