SCHINDLER RENOVATION UPDATE
AUGUST 2015
Dear Colleagues,
Perhaps you have seen the cyclone fencing around Schindler and a
portion of the parking lot? Mortenson Construction will soon be
moving trailers and equipment from the new Hancher Auditiorium at
the University of Iowa, to our west parking lot at UNI.
Schindler Education Center is an empty shell. The furniture has been
removed, the better pieces are stored and others sold. Even door
hardware has been removed. Asbestos abatement has been completed,
and the building is ready for targeted demolition.
Our architects from Stantec and DLR, along with their engineers and
designers, and - in consultation with Mortenson and our Facilities and
Planning and Physical Plant staff - have been busy all summer creating
the finalized, detailed plans for our project. More than 240 pages of
drawings and diagrams! Our technology consultants, Sextant Group,
are also at work with the specifications for all of the wires, routers,
outlets, and monitors needed for our classroom, seminar, collaboration
and office spaces.
Phil Simpson, Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Planning,
reported last week that the project is two weeks behind schedule, but
for a very good reason. The wonderfully generous $3.65 million gift
from the Gerdin Family – and their wish to make the Schindler
Renovation a “greener” project - meant we needed to expand our
plans.
All of the glass in the building will now be replaced to save energy and
increase comfort, a new “green” roof on the west end of the first floor
will create a lovely terrace for our commons area, which will also see
the middle roof section “popped-up” to allow for large clerestory
windows, bringing in abundant natural light creating a more open, airy
feeling for the whole space. The Commons will be named the Gerdin
Resource Exchange for the Advancement of Teaching, also known as
the Gerdin Great Room.
Other leadership gifts, totaling $550,000, have been received from
private donors, Dr. Ken & Pat Budke, Drs. Melville & Judith Finkelstein
and Pauline Barrett. Also, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and the R.
J. McElroy Trust, have made contributions to the project that total $1.5
million. Our donors and the work of our Foundation people have
elevated the Schindler Renovation project well beyond what the state
funding would allow.
As the project progresses I will be posting construction updates on a
monthly basis. It is amazing to me to think about how many people are
involved with this renovation. The generosity of our donors is
humbling. Our work in the College of Education is valued by many.
Rick Knivsland
Renovation Committee Chair