$42.5 million will improve Pitt buildings

Construction workers may seem to take over the University within the next few months, as… Construction workers may seem to take over the University within the next few months, as Pitt has scheduled $42.5 million in renovations and upgrades to four campus buildings.

A 50,000 square-foot expansion of Clapp/Langley/Crawford (CLC) halls, scheduled to start in mid-April, will primarily provide additional biological research laboratory space, said John Walluk, senior administrator for Facilities Management.

The CLC project will cost $25.5 million and includes infrastructure work. The undertaking should not interfere greatly with classes because it will mainly be done outdoors, and the bulk of construction will be finished during the summer, Walluk said.

“Pitt is trying to make things better,” he explained.

One major ventilation unit will replace the 145 fans on top of Chevron Science Center. The $6 million project should begin in March and will take a year to complete, according to Walluk.

Replacement of Trees Hall’s roof will begin after classes let out in the spring, Walluk added. The $5.1 million project also includes general renovations to the building.

The first major renovation plans for the year began in early January on the second and third floors of the Cathedral of Learning.

Senior Pitt student Sam Choun had class last semester in 232 of the Cathedral of Learning, and he said it was hot.

“The air conditioner was never working. I thought they were going to fix it by the time the semester ended, but it never got fixed,” he explained.

The Cathedral of Learning project will install ventilation and air conditioning units. Renovations will improve the environmental quality of classrooms, upgrade electrical systems and renovate fire-suppression systems, Walluk said.

Asbestos removal in the Cathedral of Learning has complicated the renovation process. The University had to bring in a licensed asbestos remover. Once the asbestos is removed, they will take down the second- and third-floor containment walls, which have caused students and staff to alter their daily routes to class, work and the bathroom.

“The good news is that the ladies room on the second floor will be open today,” Walluk said in an interview on Jan. 5. The men’s bathroom on the second floor and the bathrooms on the third floor will open in the next week or so, he added.

Officials at University Facilities Management know that the projects will cause a few inconveniences to Pitt students, faculty and staff, but they look instead to the benefits of the projects. Overall, campus buildings are going to be more efficient and use less energy, according to Walluk.

“Short-term pain; long-term gain,” he said.

The state’s Department of General Services will finance the projects, which should all begin by the end of 2005.