4
Page A2 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 5, 1985
'U'
construction
booms
By SUSAN GRANT
"Current University construction,
which will cost an estimated $350
million upon completion, is running
along smoothly, and many of the new
buildings are scheduled to open this
fall.
"The only project behind schedule
due to slow construction is the elec-
trical and computer center" for the
College of Engineering on North
Campus, said Charles Vest, dean of
mechanical engineering.
"WE'RE HOPING to keep it that
way," said Keith Molin, director of
capital projects at the University.
"We're just coming to work and
taking it day by day," he said.
The most expensive project on Nor-
th Campus is the electrical and com-
puter center which will cost more
than $30 million. The center, the first.
University project to be completely
state-funded in 20 years, represents a
significant change from recent years,
said James Brinkerhoff, the Univer-
sity's chief financial officer. Because
of the state's lack of funds, most of the
money for the University construction
has had to come from private donors,
he said.
Brinkerhoff added that despite the
increase in state funding for construc-
tion projects, the University is being
careful to avoid construction it
doesn't need.
"We could always spend more
money than we have available, but
construction would not be done if it
was not feasible," he added.
The high number of buildings being
built or redesigned should help
University students, Iolin said. "The
construction will have a tremendous
impact on the student.
"IF WE weren't building an elec-
trical and computer center on North
Campus, we could not provide
students with the necessary
state-of-the-art materials that would
make them competitive in the
engineering field," Molin said.
"If we weren't building a new
chemistry building, there would be no
way that a student using outdated,
outmoded material could compete
with students from Berkeley or
Yale."
Brinkerhoff added that some of the
new construction will improve the
quality of research. For example, he
said, the new engineering facilities
will free up both East and West
Engineering Buildings so the
psychology department, which is
currently located in various locations
around campus, will be consolidated
into one building.
"YOU WON'T have people in six
different places trying to work on one
project," Molin said. "It will improve
communication, physical access, and
efficiency."
When the College of Engineering
completes its move to North Campus,
Vest hopes the college can "get
together and work effectively."
In 1981, only 40 percent of the
engineering college was located on
North Campus. Once the new center is
completed, in 1987, most of the college
will be there, Vest said.
BY FALL, part of the building
should be in use, but the final phase,
which includes a library, will not be
completed until late 1986, Vest said.
In addition to the engineering cen-
ter, North Campus construction in-
cludes the Campus Instruction Center
- a major additon to the School of
Music - scheduled to be completed
by April. It is expected to cost $3.2
million.
FASHIONS-N-THINGS
415 North Fifth A ve.
KERRYTOWN
Construction at the business school is one of many University projects going on presently.
The largest reconstruction project
on North Campus is the G.G. Brown
Building, which is getting an ad-
dition and a lot of remodeling. It will
cost about $1.5 million and is
scheduled to be completed soon.
VEST stressed that the move to
North Campus will not isolate
engineering students. "We're not the
only ones on North Campus. The
Schools of Art, Architecture, and
Music are located in what I call the
'creative campus,' "he said.
"Besides," he said, "Central Cam-
pus will always remain the center of
social and evening activity."
University construction is not lim-
ited to North Campus. Projects on
Central Campus include:
* A Business Administration dor-
mitory for executives visiting the
University that will cost $5.6 million;
" Renovation of the Business Ad-
ministration Building for $2 million;
" Renovation of Lorch Hall for $4.55
million;
* Remodeling of the East
Engineering Building for $10 million;
and
" The Replacement Hospital Project
for almost $300 million.
The Replacement Hospital Project
is the largest venture, Molin said.
"There is nothing else like it. It will
incorporate the latest in medical
technology. "Even the physical
design is unique. It will be the model M
which others will follow," he said.
Next year, construction will begin
on a new chemistry building. It will
cost between $20 million and $30
million.
'U' replacement hospital near completion
Kenya Bags
By KATIE WILCOX
The main part of the University's
Replacement Hospital Project -
replacing and adding buildings to
University Hospitals - is nearing
completion, with Adult General being
prepared for occupancy in January.
The 11-story, million square foot
main building of the complex network
of hospital construction projects is
almost completed outwardly, and is
ready for final interior work, including
installing medical equipment and
moving in furniture.
THE ENTIRE hospital project will
cost about $285 million. The state
donated $173 million, and the
remaining $122 million was financed
through private donations, University
funds, and increased hospital costs for
patients.
During construction, patients paid
$1900
Now thru
September 30, 1985
HOURS:
Monday-Friday 9:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Noon - 5:00 p.m.
994-6659
about $25 more per day for a hospital
room.
Joseph Diederich, director of the
Replacement Hospital Project, said
the state's donation was very impor-
tant. "At this lowest ebb of financial
ability, their worst hour, they
allocated $173 million. That should
serve to indicate what the University
means to this state," he said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF the
hospital has not been lost on the state,
said Keith Molin, director of capital
projects for the University. "The
Replacement Hospital Project is the
largest such project in the country,
and the second largest in the world,"
he said.
The entire Replacement Hospital
Project is an effort to bring patient
care up to the same level that
teaching and research has achieved
at the University, Diederich said.
"We've lagged behind lately in the
treatment of patients. The RHP is to
solve this," he said.
THE REPLACEMENT hospital's
main building includes new computer
systems that will initially require
special employee training.
Automated carts, which are small
robot-like machines, will transport
material throughout the building. A
new method of food preparation will
cut costs and preserve the food's taste
by a process of chilling rather than
freezing the food.
Diederich said the food will be "like
you'd receive in a hotel - better than
airline food, but not yet like a gourmet
restaurant."
One of the most sophisticated
projects will be a computerized
building maintenance system, which
will control heating, air conditioning,
and lights.
THE HOSPITAL'S system is the
only one in the world to have this
degree of sophistication in
mechanized functions, Diederich
said. Other buildings have portions of
the control system, but not at this
level.
For example, the computer can
detect fires, close air valves in the,
area to contain smoke, alert the fire
department, announce evacuation
procedures, and produce the location
and best route to the fire on a visual
screen.
The new hospital will cut the num-
ber of beds from 929 to 888 because
health care is moving toward more
outpatient treatment. The extra space
will be for diagnostic and treatment
clinics.
All rooms will contain one or two
beds, while rooms with multiple beds
will be eliminated.
THE SIZE OF the new hospital was
originally challenged by the Com-
prehensive Health Planning Council
of Southeastern Michigan, which
thought the University should deal
mainly with difficult health cases
rather than with minor, outpatient
care, Diederich said.
"But the University is here to train
health care professionals to treat the
whole patient," he countered.
The project, which has "been in
progress at one stage or another since
the early 1970s," will continue for
several years, Molin said. The groun-
dbreaking was in October, 1981.
CONSTRUCTION OF a new Mater-
nal and Child Care Center, and
renovations of the Child Psychiatric
Hospital are planned, but have not
begun.
The project has employed thousan-
ds of workers, and almost all contrac-
ting and building jobs went to in-state
firms.
Construction was done by a method
called fast-tracking, whereby
building begins on one section before
plans are completed for others. This
process will enable the hospital to
reach completion 1 years earlier
than if all architectural plans were
done at once.
WHILE WORK is progressing
smoothly and there have been no
major work stoppages since the first *
year, problems have plagued the
project.
In May, the Teamsters Union went
on strike, but the situation was
resolved with a minimal disruption of
work. "We're happily devoid of any
labor disputes," Diederich said.
One issue that remains undecided is
the status of the Old Main building.
The hospital plans to completely
evacuate it and engineering studies
show that repairs and upkeep would I
be too costly. Many oppose this,
arguing that the space is needed for
laboratories and offices.
Students!
You can place your order for telephone service from
August 26 through September 10 at our Michigan Bell
Customer Service Center. We're located at 324 E. Huron in
Ann Arbor. Center hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday. (We will be closed on Labor Day.)
There are four important points to remember
when placing your order for service:
1. Michigan Bell now provides basic telephone
service only, NOT the telephones. If you already
own modular telephones, just keep them and
plug them in once your service is installed. If you
don't own any telephones, there are a number of
companies from which you can buy or lease them.
2. If your residence is already equipped with
modular telephone service, no installer visit will
be required.
3. Michigan Bell is able to provide your local and
long distance service within the 313 Area Code
only. For calls to other places in Michigan and to
other states, you need to make arrangements for
service with a long distance company. If you do
not make any arrangements, you will not be able
to place long distance calls to telephone numbers
outside of the 313 Area Code.
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