Engineering Building Promises Innovation

Colorado State University's population has been growing steadily for the last few years; according to CSU admission records, by next fall, the projected attendance is expected to be 25,329 students. That is a 3.3 percent increase since last year with 800 more students entering. The College of Engineering is also seeing a significant rise in students, with the total student population doubling in the last five years.

Several plans have been drawn up by school officials to build, expand or remodel buildings on campus in response to the growth. The new additions are hoped to not only sufficiently accommodate more students, but to also make the campus more energy efficient and give it a more modern look.

Many of the school's plans have come to fruition and construction and remodeling projects have begun; most of which have already been completed. Some of the recently completed projects include a new parking garage on Lake Street, the Computer Science building adjacent to the plaza, an expansion of Rockwell Hall, and the Behavioral Sciences building.

"Many of these buildings have been in their planning stages for a very long time," said Vice-President of Finances, Lynn Johnson. "With all the new students coming in, there is no better time than now to put these plans into action."

Morgan Library and Engineering II are among the latest building projects in 2011.

Academic Construction

The new engineering building's current cost is over $65 million, one of the most expensive construction projects on campus alongside the Morgan Library remodeling project and Braiden/Parmelee Hall's fourth floor addition.

The building will have a number of new features: among which are a 24-hour study area within a three-story atrium that will be available to all students, new laboratories and classrooms, and an "engineering student success center". The success center will have resources for minority and women engineers, as well as advisors' offices and career centers and information all in one place.
With the new facilities also comes a new program plan for Engineering II. One of the implemented plans for the college is research groups that are organized into "pods". These pods represent a specific area of research for students and faculty to conduct research with other like-minded individuals.

According to the College of Engineering Program Plan, written in June 2008, the pods are just one of the ways that Engineering II will be designed to "facilitate the engagement of students, faculty, staff and visitors in new ways of discovery and learning".

Engineering II also plans on being a part of the Clean Energy Supercluster, a University-wide "academic infrastructure" made up of researchers, social scientists and business experts that will work in the facility. Research pods will be formed focusing on energy conservation, as well as society and environmental themes that will further facilitate the energy initiative.

In the past, utility savings from previous building upgrades were used to fund new projects at CSU. However, there is not an actual funding program in place to raise capital.

According to an operations & maintenance feasibility report that was written earlier in 2011, the proposed option to gain extra funds and increase efficiency within campus buildings is to remodel existing buildings to be LEED certified. This remodeling would allow the money normally spent on utilities and maintenance to go towards building projects.
Beginning in 2008, seven buildings at CSU met the conditions for LEED certification, and there will be five more that are on the verge of certification. Even before CSU began actively adopting green standards, the Lory Student Center's Transit Center addition and the Guggenheim Hall renovation had received LEED certification, gold and silver respectively.

Engineering II will be built for gold standard LEED certification (which is the second highest LEED certification), and will focus on the sustainability of water, energy and atmosphere, materials, resources and more.

In order for a building to get LEED certification, there are a number of prerequisites and standards that must be met. While many of these standards will increase the costs of the overall remodeling of the building, they create a more efficient building that will last for many years while reducing energy usage and keeping the general utility bills lower according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Some of the observed prerequisites are: plumbing fixture and fitting efficiency, energy efficiency performance, fundamental refrigerant management, sustainable purchasing policy, and solid waste management policy.

A Student View

In the face of these changes, student's opinions remain mixed, with some being excited for the project, while others either disapprove or do not care at all. Physics major, Ben Griego has a bittersweet view about the building.

"There are some nice ideas that are being put into [the Engineering II building] that will definitely make future students have a better learning experience," Griego said. "I just wish I could use some of the stuff they are planning for it now. I won't be around long enough to see its completion."

While most engineering students who were confronted about the building had mainly positive thoughts regarding it, other students from outside the engineering field wanted more pressing building issues on campus to be addressed first.

"It doesn't make sense how all of these buildings are getting brand-new classrooms and remodeled, while the visual arts building still barely has any working windows and a leaking roof," said art major Kaitlyn Birdsall, calling the art building a "deathtrap".

Ashley Lauwereins, a CSU technical journalism major, also thought that CSU's priorities were "in the wrong place".

"I don't have a problem with construction, especially since CSU really does need it," Lauwereins said, "But there are buildings that desperately need more work and attention than they are getting."

Some students also had concerns about where the funding for the new building is coming from. This question did not arise from the construction of Engineering II alone, but also from the other projects happening on campus.

"I want to know how CSU affords all of the construction around campus," Katherine Carmichael said. "I've been going here for five years, and have seen massive amounts of construction -- some that I'll never see results of despite paying for part of it."

Lynn Johnson stated that tuition will not rise to accommodate the costs of the projects. However, students may be seeing an increase in their student fees.

In the case of Engineering II, a majority of the costs will be covered by the facility fee that students voted for in 2007. The rest will be made up of private gifts, such as alumni Suzanne and Walter Scott's $10 million contribution, and indirect research costs.

Engineering II's estimated completion is June 2013. The building itself will be ready for use by students and faculty by fall of the same year. It will be located on the corner of Meridian Avenue and Laurel Street north of Green Hall.