Science building gets upgraded
By Matthew Purucker · News Editor
After two years of construction and $48 million, the Smith Hall of Science and Technology is open.
Vice President for Operations Susan Grimm led the development of Smith Hall, named after alumnus and technology entrepreneur William Smith Jr. and his wife Dieva. Working on the renovation of the former Rockwell Hall of Science, which is now connected to STEM Hall, was an honor, according to Grimm.
“There will be fun projects (in the future), but taking an old, worn-out building and breathing the life and bringing it back when it’s so historic anyway was really rewarding for everybody on the project. That was the neat thing. There’s so many people on our project that feel ownership over it, and they all are so proud of it,” Grimm said.
The upgrade to Smith Hall added classrooms, labs, collaborative spaces and offices to increase science and technology research capabilities for STEM programs like biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and exercise science.
From the beginning, Landau Building Company, the construction firm on the project, The Smith Group, the architect and Grimm laid out their collective vision for Smith Hall. Grimm believed they worked together well to deliver the project on time and on budget.
“We designed the building the way we want it. And then, when there’s a cost that exceeds that number, then you start value engineering … You find things that you can live with that are cost savings that brings the number down to that target number, and our goal was to never take the functionality out of it,” Grimm said.
During an Aug. 19 open house, the improvements to the exercise science program’s resources particularly interested faculty members. The department, which over the last 10 years has moved from the PLC to Rockwell and back to the PLC during construction, now has six labs and an environmental chamber that can control altitude, temperature and humidity.
“Smith Hall is a significant upgrade to the Exercise Science Department. In all those previous moves, exercise science was basically confined to one space,” Dr. Philip Prins, chair of the department, said.
The upgrade was because of “our very good enrollment, and because of the very innovative and high quality and impactful research that we do,” according to Prins.
The Smith Hall refurbishment is part of the college’s Impact 150 fundraising campaign, which aims to raise $185 million for various capital projects and student financial aid over the next several years to coincide with the college’s 150th anniversary in 2026. However, it was the most expensive and time-consuming among the campaign’s first-phase priorities.
“We had to reinforce the third floor to be able to meet code. And the biggest thing was all the extra work that we didn’t know that we were going to have to do. So, we always kind of joke, ‘Well, the tower is still standing. That’s a good thing.’ So, (it was a) phenomenal project. I don’t think I will ever have a project like this one again,” Grimm said.
“To have the partnerships that we had with our architects and engineers and building company and all of our sub-contractors, (it’s) kind of unheard of to have that much continuity within that many different personalities and strengths,” she expressed.
