Engineering building near completion
Unseasonably warm weather conditions have helped construction workers get ahead of schedule on Utah State University’s new engineering building.
Al Moser, associate dean for the College of Engineering, said the new building, which will feature 14 classrooms, was originally scheduled to be completed by mid-August.
“They’re [Jacobsen Contractors] saying that they’ll have it done by the first of July,” Moser said.
Upon completion of the 100,000-square-foot building, the university will begin preparing the area for student use, Moser said.
“I’m not 100 percent sure that we will be ready for the new school year,” Moser said. “We may not make that, so don’t plan on it. If we make it, we’ll just count our blessings.”
Stanley Kane, director of Facilities Design and Construction, said the building, designed by MHTN Architects Inc., is one of four engineering buildings being constructed on campuses around the state.
“Ours is probably the largest of the four,” Kane said. “There are more classrooms in this one, because this is a bigger school than Snow, CEU and Weber-Davis.”
Tom Graham, a Facilities Design and Construction architect, said while everything has gone smoothly with the project, there have been some challenges.
“One of the most challenging problems that I’ve dealt with to date is the integration of all the state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment that will be in the classrooms,” Graham said.
One of the features of the new building will be a time-enhanced learning room, he said.
“We’ll be able to broadcast lectures and courses in that room to other campuses throughout the state,” Graham said. “In some classrooms we’ll have cameras in the back that will project the professor up on the screen while he’s teaching the class.”
Moser said the largest of the 14 classrooms will seat 240 students and the smaller classrooms, for graduate students, will have about 30 seats.
“The classrooms are a big thing,” Moser said. “We have some labs — not too many labs — and then some offices.”
The good news for the campus, Moser said, is the classrooms will not be used exclusively for the College of Engineering.
“That’s going to be a boon to the whole campus,” he said.
Moser said one feature that will be advantageous to students will be an entire floor dedicated to students.
“The third floor of this building is touted to be a student floor,” Moser said.
“It’ll have a nice lounge area for students; it’ll have a food catering area and computer labs,” Graham said.
The third floor will also feature breathtaking views of Logan Canyon and the southern end of Cache Valley, Graham said.
While the first floor of the building will contain some larger, tiered classrooms, Graham said, there will be a nice exhibition area as well.
“There is a large exhibition space on the first floor that is two stories high that floor to ceiling is all windows,” he said.
“We’ve touted this as being not only just a building, but the building itself is a learning tool,” Moser said. “The structure is exposed in a lot of areas so the students can see what’s in it; everything is not covered up with walls.”
“Throughout the building we’re exposing structural elements where engineering students can view how a footing is formed, how certain beams are connected to their columns. Things like that will be exposed throughout the building,” Graham said.
Students will also be able to look inside the elevator shaft and see its mechanical workings. All areas will have signs explaining various facets of the design, he said.
Moser said the $16 million building is the first stage in an ongoing project.
“The total plan, which has not been funded, calls for a remodel of the old laboratory building, and then after that was done, the [old] classroom building would be demolished,” Moser said. “Right now the state has only funded the first part of that plan.”
Efforts are currently being made to secure funding to continue with the project, he said.
Both Moser and Graham said they remain hopeful the building will be completed and ready for students in the fall.
“You’ll be seeing it completed here very shortly,” Graham said. “It will be quite fascinating, I think.”
–str@cc.usu.edu