What goes up must come down

5/5/2010
By Nikky Farmakes
Managing Editor

Door by door, window by window, wall by wall, the Rothwell Student Center’s deconstruction has become a lot more noticeable over the past few weeks as construction crews work on the first demolition the campus has seen in over 40 years. 

Demolition of the RSC started in January with crews working on removing the asbestos so the building could be safely taken down. Once done removing the asbestos in mid-February, crews started working on removing recyclables and systematically shutting down and re-routing utilities. 

“They removed kitchen items, windows, and doors to resell and reuse elsewhere,” said Tom Fennessy, the Facilities Director on campus. 

Facilities oversee and act as a liaison between the campus and contractors for all building projects on campus.  According to Fennessy, items inside of the building are not the only items being recycled.  The building itself, the bricks and concrete, will be ground down and used to fill in the basement and lay the foundation for  new parking lot and green space. 

In the state of Wisconsin, all building projects are required to recycle building materials as well as document items being brought to landfills. 

“It is all documented.  What the item is, its weight, and what landfill it is being brought to,” said Fennessy.   

Fennessy also estimates that 60 to 70 percent of the Rothwell Student Center will be recycled.

The University of Wisconsin- Superior’s recent construction projects have all been a part of a pilot program to see what recycle rates can be.   

In the construction of the new Yellowjacket Union, 95 percent of the construction materials, concrete, pallets, wood and steel was recycled.  With any major construction projects, complications arise.  

“It takes longer because of the recycling.  It’s a painstaking task and costly,” said Fennessy.  

For the RSC deconstruction, the construction crews are behind about a month. But when all is said and done, for Fennessy, the trade off is worth it. 

“In the end run, it’s the best for the environment,” he said.

Deconstruction of the Rothwell Student Center is estimated to be completed by July 1st and the parking lot is estimated to be operational by the beginning of the Fall Semester.   

The last building to be brought down on campus was the old heating plant in the late 1960’s.  The teardown of RSC is the first of three on campus, the next two being Sundquist Hall and McCaskill Hall.

Saving the trees

The campus’ plans to tear down the Rothwell Student Center, McCaskill, and Sundquist will lead to an end result of more parking and green space on campus. 

With so much construction going on around campus the biggest casualty has been the campus’ green space.  Building the Yellowjacket Union and Swenson Hall has resulted in the loss of trees and other landscaping. 

However, the campus has taken steps to remedy the damage that has been done.  A tree-for-tree program has been initiated to ensure that for every tree that has been removed, a new one will be planted to replace it. 

With the construction of Swenson Hall, contractors are obligated to protect the remaining trees, or pay for the ones damaged in the construction process.

Being mindful of the environment has been imperative for the construction process of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified Yellowjacket Union, and Swenson Hall which is being built to LEED Standards.

Director of Facilities Tom Fennessy plans to eventually place a permanent display on campus that explains all of the green components of the new buildings and the green process in which they were built. 

He wants future students to know all the work that went into the construction of the new campus buildings, as well as the preservation of the environment around them.

 “Students five years from now will know what it was all about,” said Fennessy.