In Canada, it is said that there are two seasons: winter, and construction. Since winter is clearly on its way out, construction is in. You can’t swing a goose without hitting a crane on campus.
The largest and most central of the ongoing projects is the Science Teaching Complex connecting to B1 and B2, which began construction in late 2012. The five-story, 120,000 square foot building will be dedicated to undergraduate education, and will include lecture halls, a 425-seat amphitheatre, teaching laboratories, student lounges, and a student cafe. On the flip side, that extremely photogenic greenhouses that make it onto all that high school promotional material will be removed. The complex has a target opening date of April 2015.
To the south of the Science Teaching Complex is another large construction site. A new wing of Needles Hall, which was originally built in 1971, is being constructed. The three floor addition, with 50% the floor area of the existing building, will include administrative areas, 20 absolutely luxurious below-grade parking spaces. Construction will be completed in 2015.
This will not be the first time that Needles Hall has undergone construction – legend has it that in the early 1970s, electricity was so cheap that Needles Hall didn’t have light switches until the electrical system was retrofitted in 1977.
In the north, Fed Hall is undergoing renovations! Fed Hall was funded by students and built as a nightclub in 1984 – in fact, it was the largest campus nightclub in North America. It leased the land from the University for the nominal sum of a dollar a year. And, believe it or not, it was incredibly successful. Laurier students flocked to the UW campus to get a piece of the 700-person capacity club, as opposed to the other way around (holding TalEng at Wilf’s? Sadface.).
But on New Year’s in 2003, an individual beat another individual close to death. UW repudiated Feds’ liquour licence for both the bomber and Fed Hall. Feds sued the university. The same year, OAC (grade 13) was removed in Ontario, and Fed Hall became flooded with frosh too young to slosh. The university changed the terms of the Fed Hall lease in 2008, and Feds lost the lease of the building in 2010.
Some oldtimers on campus might still fuzzily remember some concerts or perchance a ceremonial viewing of the Tool in that facility during orientation week. But no longer – since 2013, Fed Hall has been undergoing renovations to subdivide the large central room into two multipurpose rooms seating up to 156 each. A kitchen facility will also be added. The renovations will be completed in 2014.
To the west, the library at Conrad Grebel University is opening a new chapter in its history. An $8.7 million, 4-storey chapter that was six years in the making, to be exact. The library and Mennonite archives will be expanded. Music studios, community areas, and administrative spaces will also be expanded.
And, most visibly, the dirt path from DC to MC was paved with interlock this month! Interlock is more expensive and time consuming to install than asphalt, but also blends in better with surrounding pedestrian walkways, and promotes good drainage – also reducing that accursed spring puddling.
Happy construction season to all!
Leave a Reply