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As cranes continue to stack hundreds of lineal feet of steel and excavators continue to move earth in and around James Hall, subcontractors of Shawmut Construction are 291 days into operations on a project that looks to completely revamp the natural resources building originally built in the 1920s from 60,000 to 75,000 square feet.
The project is a part of the Knowledge Economy Education plan proposed by the University Systems of New Hampshire and passed in 2005. The house bill included over $109.5 million to be spent on campus renovations for science, engineering and high technology facilities. Included in this funding was the recent completion of DeMerritt Hall.
In addition the university has registered the building's construction with the U.S. Green Building Council to seek LEED certification, a first for the UNH campus. LEED is a rating system used to measure projects on their efficiency and sustainability practices. Crews on site record air quality, ensure minimal dust and sort waste that comes from the job and sends it to Waste Management, which provides a recycle content report. A water reclaim cycle is also performed to filter rainwater off the roof and into the urinals and water closets, reducing water costs.
"We are aiming for a silver certification, which is really good for a science building with so many different labs and new technology," said Lauren Rewinski, an assistant supervisor on the project for Shawmut Construction.
Rewinski recently completed a gold-certified building at Harvard University and said most universities are taking the same approach. She said it's interesting working with old buildings like James Hall, because workers never know what they'll find.
"A lot of the existing steel had lead paint and has had to be abated," said Rewinski.
Rewinski explained that only lead paint that was disrupted during construction would have to be removed. Workers also found asbestos in the ductwork and had to corner off the area. A hygienist was onsite to test the air quality.
The building is being stripped on the inside, while a 15,000-square-foot addition is being constructed around the exterior. Within its budget of $25.5 million, the project is currently on schedule. The departments of natural resources and earth sciences will move into the building in December 2009, and James Hall will open for the spring semester, according to UNH Construction Project Manager Brenda Whitmore.
"Upon completion James Hall will be fully accessible for ADA requirements including a new elevator, new life safety systems, new mechanical systems, new lighting systems and an upgraded building envelope with high efficiency windows," said Whitmore.
The university's commitment to technology and research is clear in some of the features the renovations will bring to the natural resources and environment department. A seismograph will be installed on the bedrock of the building's foundation to measure ground movements caused by earthquakes.
Other new additions include a wildlife wet research room, a walk-in enviro-chamber and geo-spec climate controlled rooms.
Among other high priorities, UNH has emphasized that, in this project, the university is preserving two important components to the original building: the main stairwell at the entrance and the topography map that hung on the wall for decades.
New Hampshire's first geologist, Charles H. Hitchcock, put the relief map together in the late 19th century. Along with three colleagues, Hitchcock mapped all of New Hampshire, Vermont and the western portion of Maine over the course of four to five summers.
The map was originally brought to Dartmouth where Hitchcock taught, but was later brought to Thompson Hall around the turn of the century. In the 1930s the map was revised and hung in Conant Hall until 1966 where it was dismantled and relocated to the lower foyer of James Hall, where it hung for 42 years. The map is scaled an inch for every mile and stands 12 by 16 feet in three sections.
With a grant provided by the UNH Parents Association, the map will be repaired and re-hung once renovations are completed.
"A fair bit of repair is needed, since it is all wood carved," said William Bothner, geology professor and head of the map's restoration. "The map will be restored to a geology that reflects Hitchcock's original interpretation."
Construction on site remains on schedule with 95 percent of demolition complete and 90 percent of structural steel in place. The west addition is 75 percent complete while the addition in the back has yet to get started. There are currently approximately eighty workers on the job, though there were up to 150 during demolition. Crews are now preparing to work through the winter months by sealing off the building.
"We'll seal off the building with plastic and heat it with the steam tunnel at UNH," said Rewinski.
Both Whitmore and Rewinski emphasized safety on site as the No. 1 priority, as there have been no safety violations to date on the project.
With the James Hall renovations on track, UNH shows no signs of stopping, with plans to continue with the evolution of the Durham campus.
"Parson's Hall is up next and there is hope that the new business school will be right behind," said Whitmore.
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