The Wake

On a gray, cold day, anything on campus can look ugly. The brick buildings, the dirty grass in the mall or those rascally squirrels. But even on a sunny and bright spring day, the Science Classroom Building is still “the worst looking building in the universe,” as University President Bob Bruininks says of the white building found at end of the Washington Avenue Bridge on the East Bank campus.

Thankfully, university students won’t have to tolerate the insufferable eyesore much longer—the building will be demolished and rebuilt to house a science teaching and student service center for chemistry and physics classes as well as a consolidated academic services center. The building in its current condition was not worth additional investment, says Orlyn Miller, the director of plans and architecture for the project. “It’s better to build new,” he says.

During construction, pedestrian traffic will be rerouted south of the Washington Bridge to pass by the Weisman Museum and Coffman Memorial Union. “Pedestrian access will improve once [the project is] done,” Miller says.

The Science Classroom Building, which was built 44 years ago, was never even finished, which is evident in the upper floors, where an exposed bar above the steps indicates where additions were to be made. It has been generally agreed that it does not fit with the rest of its surroundings, including other buildings and the architecture of the area, which mostly consists of brick buildings.

The location is regarded as a university “gateway” because it is at one end of the Washington Avenue Bridge. As anyone who has had a class in the Science Classroom Building already knows, the building also boasts a confusingly intricate stairway system and difficult and inefficient accessibility both indoors and outdoors, with separate entrances leading to different lecture halls. The building currently has four lecture halls and each hall has 236 seats. The new building is expected to be approximately this same size while also meeting the needs of large science demonstrations, Miller says.

The building is currently used for the departments of economics, multicultural and academic affairs, general college and chemistry, one of the largest programs at the U. Chemistry courses are required for 43 undergraduate programs and physics is required for 53 programs, with as many as 17,000 students enrolled in chemistry or physics programs in one year.

In January, Professor Jeffrey Roberts, head of the chemistry department, said there was a need for better lab and classroom space. “We have top faculty teaching with excellent techniques, but we can’t do anything about the infrastructure,” he said.

Caroline Rosen, education specialist at the Center for Teaching and Learning Service, which is located in the Science Classroom Building, says that she, or anyone else with offices in the building, does not know much about the reconstruction project. “We do know that there will be some kind of renovation, but beyond that, we are not aware of any specifics,” she says. The Center for Teaching and Learning Service partners with colleges, departments and individuals to improve student learning and is currently located in room 315. Miller says that the Office of Space Management will decide where these offices will be moved.

Bruininks first mentioned a renovation of the Science Classroom Building in February 2004. At this time, he was exploring the possibility of putting mostly technology classrooms in the facility. He was concerned about the lost productivity because of mediocre facilities. Bruininks is very happy the renovation project will be completed in his term, says Miller.

The new large-scale demonstration classrooms, which are “essential to meet the instructional needs of core science courses in chemistry and physics,” will include state-of-the art presentation technology and improved acoustics, according to a 2006 Capital Request document. Another feature of the new building is that it will consolidate student services centers into one location. This will include advising, career counseling, student leadership, registration, financial aid and billing. At the moment, these services are scattered around campus.

During renovation, classes will be moved to other buildings and Miller says a provisional classroom study was done to address this issue so other lecture halls do not become overcrowded. “We are making sure students are not inconvenienced,” he says. “That’s key.”

The U requested $41.3 million from the state for the project during the 2006 Legislative bonding request in January, which would involve the U raising an additional $20.7 million. The additional money will be paid by a combination of University resources, tuition and state funds over time, unless there is a major donor for the project, says Mike Berthelsen, CFO for University Services. The project would cost a total of $62 million.

Designer selection for the building is expected to begin next month after the bonding bill passes. Actual renovation will begin to become visible in Summer 2007. The project has an expected end date of Spring 2009.