But How Do We Use It?

In Winston Churchill's words, "We shape our buildings, and afterwards, our buildings shape us." Such is the process that we are embarking on.

The design of the new Center for the Science was influenced strongly by many years of discussion amongst the future residents about how we teach and the nature of the teaching culture that we foster. Over the last decade, many faculty have experimented with new approaches to teaching and learning. It has become clear that science in the 21st century is very collaborative and interdisciplinary. The Science Center's design was intended to facilitate this kind of experience-rich, collaborative and interdisciplinary education.

And now, as we start to move in, we wonder how the building will be used.  Already clusters of faculty are frequently seen gathering in common atrium space.  An informal survey of these groups reveals a remarkable mix of interdepartmental interaction. The building's extensive social spaces, intended to invite collaboration as well as contemplation, are being wonderfully populated by new students talking, planning, thumbing through course schedules or just grabbing some down time. This all bodes well for a building intended to foster just this kind of use.

Stewart Brand, author of How Buildings Learn, makes the case that Churchill's quote leaves out a crucial step that after we shape buildings and they shape us, that we reshape the space again, leading to a dynamic cycle of interaction. But for now, we are perched early in the cycle, waiting to see how the building that we shaped, shapes us.

'Buzz From the Site' Archive

While some detail work remains throughout the building, we are clearly entering the home stretch.

Installation of the flooring, held until the end for obvious reasons is being finished up. Carpet in classrooms and offices has been installed. Linoleum in the corridors is finished and the atrium's porcelain tile has been laid. The Ice Stone countertops for restrooms are in place and look handsome (see the summer 2007 issue of Beloit College Magazine). The railings around the atrium on the upper levels are complete and their glass panel inserts installed. Ceiling tiles have been dropped into place in their frames signaling the end of significant duct and wiring work.

Laboratory casework has been installed, and the Phoenix air volume control valves for the fume hoods and rooms are being tested and adjusted. The air handling systems are on and the process of testing and balancing the airflow in the building has been going on for several weeks. All fire protection systems such as sprinklers and smoke evacuation fans have been installed and tested and will be inspected by the fire marshal later this week. Water and gas are on throughout the building, and the deionized laboratory water system is being installed and tested.

From the exterior, you can see the “Zip Rip” curved metal cover that has been installed for the mechanical areas on the roof. Around the rest of the exterior, retaining walls have been poured and sidewalks are following. The main entrances to the atrium on the east and west are now installed, so the large equipment that has been operating from the floor of the atrium is gone. The crane, which has been with us from early in the construction process, is gone as well.

The final construction clean up is nearing completion and a professional cleaning of the entire building is now in full swing. In a week we will begin the LEED-mandated two-week flush out of the air in the building as part of the indoor air quality plan.

We are on schedule to begin the move from Chamberlin into the new building on July 14th, with the new furniture starting to arrive shortly afterwards. As we get closer to opening our doors, it is apparent that this building will indeed be a welcome and welcoming addition to the campus.

One of the first construction tasks for the new Center for the Sciences was taking up over 275 tons of concrete and asphalt that had been Emerson Street. Frank Brothers of Janesville crushed the material so that it could be used for new roadbeds and as clean fill. And with that step, the College started an ambitious campaign to reuse or recycle most of the waste generated by the construction of the new building.

In addition to the concrete and asphalt of Emerson Street, over 25 tons of metal and 31 tons of wood, as well as drywall, plastics, paper, bottles, and cardboard, including even the trash from the workers' lunches, are being recycled! The soil, dug from the site, has been stored until it can be used again in landscaping around the building and for filling in after the Chamberlin deconstruction. Drywall scraps are ground up and used as soil amendments and animal bedding. To date, 424 tons of material or 93 percent of all waste generated on site has been reused or recycled.

With construction recycling well in hand, we are now looking toward our biggest recycling challenge yet - the deconstruction of Chamberlin Hall. As complicated as that task will be, our goal is to salvage, reuse, or recycle 90 percent of Chamberlin Hall. Stay tuned as we start to dig into that project.