The campus community is invited to comment on plans to transform Straub and Earl halls with state-of-the-art classrooms, a 500-seat auditorium and more.
A website has been established for input on the proposed design for classroom expansion. It includes links that will collect comments on the project site map and floor plans, as well as three-dimensional images of the auditorium, commons/circulation and exterior.
“The university values what our community has to say as it helps us better your experience,” said project manager Gene Mowery, of Campus Planning and Real Estate.
The classroom expansion project will help alleviate classroom capacity problems and improve instruction through better learning environments and systems.
In addition to general feedback, Mowery said it will be especially useful if faculty and students who will use the classrooms comment on the physical space and concerns such as daylight and comfort, as well as expectations for technology and accommodation of particular teaching styles.
Straub Hall has approximately 83,000 square feet of space on four stories, and a partial basement over a single-story center area.
The hall originally was designed as a dormitory for men, and was constructed in 1928-29. In 1955, Earl Hall was constructed and attached to the east or rear side of Straub as additional dormitory space.
Straub continued to serve as a dormitory until 1971, when it was converted into academic space to house the psychology department. A remodel and addition to house a functional fMRI facility took place in the east end of the northernmost dormitory block and the north courtyard in 2002.
The psychology department remains the primary Straub Hall tenant, with the linguistic department also in the building. Earl Hall remains a residence hall.
The University of Oregon Police Department and University Parking and Transportation occupy space in both halls but will relocate at the time of construction.
The project – which is contingent upon approval by the 2013 Oregon legislature – includes renovation and expansion of the center areas of the halls with state-of-the-art academic classroom space and a 500-plus-seat auditorium.
The auditorium will allow the university to temporarily close 150 Columbia when funding becomes available to renovate that classroom, Mowery said.
Project plans call for demolition of the single-story-with-basement center section of Straub Hall that originally served as the dormitory’s dining halls, kitchen, preparation, storage and support areas.
The exception will be the open gabled dining and serving hall – currently Straub classroom 146 – which will become part of the entry sequence and common space, providing and integrating a historic connection to the new classrooms. The existing center area will be expanded with a two-story classroom addition and basement level, as well.
The project will be built in conjunction with the Straub Hall Deferred Maintenance project, which, starting this summer, includes upgrades to building systems for the rest of the hall.
A Classroom Expansion User Group serves as the university’s client representative for the project design process. The group has met with project architects to discuss and debate project issues, scope and classroom expansion design.
Documentation of this process can be found in the Schematic Design Report on the website. Under the “Project History” category, visit Schematic Design Report Vol. 1 or Vol. 2.
The project is the first campus building project subject to the newly adopted University of Oregon Model for Sustainable Development. As such, the project will be built to a very high level of energy efficiency and a LEED Gold or higher certification, according to Campus Planning and Real Estate.
- by Campus Planning and Real Estate