By Maureen Inouye
A walk behind the Engineering Hall reveals the realities of construction as dirt piles, crumbling façade and broken windows outline the site of the new addition to the Engineering Hall.
Despite a few inconveniences, such as construction noise and lack of office space, the engineering faculty and students are excited about Donald P. Shiley Hall. Shiley Hall will actually be an expansion and renovation of the current building.
"It's a little disconcerting when the room shakes," said senior mechanical engineering major Alex Drew. The beginning of the construction process has left engineering students aware of the loud noises and trembling caused by building equipment in such close proximity.
"The vibrating chairs are a bonus - free massages in the Engineering Hall," Adam Cyr, a senior mechanical engineering major, said.
Although the Engineering Hall was built in 1948, the section recently demolished was actually a more recent addition by several decades. Tearing down the addition was more efficient than interfering with the structure of the original building.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new building took place Friday behind the present Engineering Hall. Even before the ceremony, a mound of dirt and two backhoes stood as evidence that work had already begun.
"I guess this is really a ground-broken ceremony," the Rev. Tom Doyle, C.S.C., said during his opening speech.
The size of the now-empty patch of land illustrates how extensive the changes are.
"Right now, we're finishing demolition and starting excavation for a basement under the new area," civil engineering professor James Male said.
UP has applied to the City of Portland for building permits, and these are expected to be approved in the next several weeks.
Many faculty offices were re-assigned when development began, as the sounds of construction interrupted office work.
"No offices were demolished, just labs, but it's noisy," Male said. Two labs, the geotech lab, and the soils and concrete lab, have been permanently moved to the Physical Plant building.
"All the professors told us their offices are in Mehling - near the ice machines," laughed Drew. The offices have been relocated to the Mehling basement and a new entrance is being created to allow students entry to these offices from the outside during regular hours.
The plans for the addition and the renovation include a new infrastructure for the whole building, with updated heating, cooling and electrical systems as well as new classrooms and labs.
"We're going to increase the gross square footage by 70 percent and increase the functional square footage by 40 percent. The difference is made up of hallways and larger bathrooms," Male said.
Instead of being L-shaped, the new building will be rectangular. The new addition will include large, tiered classrooms with a 80 to 90 student capacity, and two to three regular-sized classrooms and computer labs.
"Spaces like these will be useful for the whole campus, not just engineers," Male said. He anticipates professors will use the new-tiered rooms for classes too large for Franz's tiered classrooms but too small for the Buckley Center Auditorium.
The changes are made possible by the $12 million donation by alumnus Donald Shiley and his wife Darlene, as well as a large donation by Ed and Sharon Sweo. Darlene Shiley, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, plans to remain involved in many aspects of the building project.
"I see myself as a catalyst for renewal," Darlene Shiley said. She was one of several university officials that picked up a purple shovel for the symbolic groundbreaking on Friday.
