Last updated : Saturday, December 18, 2004 at 23:18:44 EST
To: Len Clark
From: The science facilities planning group (sci-fri at cs dot earlham dot edu)
Date: December 18, 2004
Re: Summary of the Fall 2004 science facilities planning conversations
A working group of the Natural Science Division has met several times over the last two months to continue the ongoing discussion about new science facilities that began during the Master Plan process last year. The Natural Science Division has long believed that our current facilities fail to support our work in a variety of ways. While the renovations in 2000 fixed a number of glaring deficiencies, they were unable to address many of our basic needs. The September 2004 Master Plan contains several references to how our work is changing, the need for new and differently programmed science facilities, and the value of new science facilities to recruiting, teaching, and learning.
This background, coupled with the upcoming capital campaign, led us to begin this next phase of planning for a new science complex. This document is a snap-shot of where we are currently in our planning. Early next semester the working group will present our preliminary plans to the science division as a whole, ultimately developing a more detailed plan for the facility (including recommended footprint, shape, specific phasing schedule, general interior layout, precise space and structural needs by department, etc.).
Design Principles - There are a number of design principles that directly inform our planning for the next generation of science facilities.
Architectural Features - We have identified the first set of architectural features that we believe should be a part of the final project.
Scale and Cost - Currently the cost of building comparable science buildings appears to range from $136 (De Pauw - biology only) to $271 (Hope - all sciences) to $504 (Oberlin - all sciences) to $700 (Wabash - biology and chemistry) to nearly $800 (Wooster - chemistry only) per square foot (based on Elly VanderGrift's Fall 2003 survey of recent science construction in GLCA/ACM schools). Our existing structures (Dennis [including the Museum], Noyes, and Stanley) total about 110,000 gross square feet. Using Lisa Macklin's estimate (page 44 of the September 2004 Campus Master Plan) of our actual need for an increase of 28.5% in space, the new science facilities should total roughly 140,000 gross square feet. We envision this to be packaged in a single three-storied plus fully functional basement (4 working/usable floors) complex. The roof would form a 5th floor suitable for the items listed under Architectural Features.
Phasing the Work - One idea we are considering is to build Phase I of the complex in the space south of Stanley. This structure could be at least the size of the current Stanley Hall. Building this phase with the extra proposed floor and an actively utilized roof would translate into a building with more actual square footage than the current Stanley Hall. This particular proposal would necessitate the demolition of Tyler Hall, but would preserve a number of valuable trees which surround Stanley Hall. Phase II of the complex would be built where Noyes, Dennis, and the Museum are now, although it is likely that when completed the complex would have a smaller total footprint than that of the existing structures.
For phasing purposes, not all departments can be relocated with equal ease and cost. The departments below are listed from easiest to most difficult in terms of moving into temporary facilities.
There are other 2 and 3 phase models that we are considering. Clearly, any model we consider must accommodate a potentially variable amount of time between successive phases. Deciding on a particular model to recommend will require a significant amount of input from a broad range of people across campus. The working group plans to continue exploring this aspect of the project next semester.