You're gonna miss me when I'm gone*

Ah, SPEA. Drink in its brutalist** glory. Soon, its facelift will begin—a ceremonial groundbreaking for the expansion and renovation is planned for January 26 with actual work beginning earlier.

Detours 

From Monday, December 21, through Friday, January 8, the ramp and hallway near the vending machines that connects SPEA to Hodge Hall will be off limits. The ramp is going to be widened and lengthened. This project should be complete by the start of classes. If you do park in the garage, enter SPEA through the outdoor courtyard.

Anticipate that access to SPEA from Tenth Street will soon be restricted, likely before spring semester begins. Dates aren't known yet, but one of the  first things to happen will be the
erection of construction fencing blocking the front entry. 

Trivia 

* If this post’s headline gave you an earworm, you might be interested to know that Anna Kendrick’s song, "Cups" , popularized in the 2013 movie Pitch Perfect is actually a remake of  the Carter Family’s 1930s song, "When I'm Gone."

** Architects disagree on what exactly constitutes brutalism. What would you deem SPEA’s current architectural style?

Get ready for Winter Break

Not much to report on the new building front--the ceremonial groundbreaking remains set for January 26. But, in preparation for the holidays, here are Winter Break hours and closings:

SPEA Building

SPEA will be closed on Friday, December 25 and Friday, January 1.

The SPEA Print Shop/Mail Room will have limited hours:

• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, December 24
• Closed Friday, December 25
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Decmber 28-30
• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, December 31
  

SPEA Cafe

The cafe will be closed from 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 17, until it reopens on Monday, January 11.

Business/SPEA Information Commons

Info Commons will be closed from Saturday, December 19 through Sunday, January 10. 

Holiday hours

Plan ahead for these Thanksgiving hours:

SPEA Café:                         

Thursday, Nov. 19: 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m

Nov. 20 – 29: CLOSED

Monday, Nov. 30: Opening at 7:30 a.m.

Information Commons:

Friday, Nov. 20: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22: CLOSED

Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov 24:  8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Nov. 25 – 28:  CLOSED

Sunday, Nov. 29: 5 p.m. – midnight

Monday, Nov. 30: Opening at 7:30 a.m.

Bidding extended

The bid date has been extended by one week.

Architectural drawings and more details

Currently, the Paul H. O’Neill Graduate Center Expansion and Renovation Project is out to bid, with bids on construction due November 12. A contract award will follow. A ceremonial groundbreaking set for January 26.

What will happen first?

One of the very first things to expect is construction fencing to go up around the front of the SPEA building. Utilities will be moved and the grade established in the footprint of the new building as work begins. Access to SPEA will primarily be through the back parking lot for the duration of construction, although there is hope that SPEA will also be able to be accessed through Kelley’s career area in the front for as long as possible.  Bike parking will be unavailable in the front during the project, but will return upon completion. New bike racks have been installed on the north side of the building and are available for use.

As part of the renovation, though, the completed SPEA expansion will have access in the front from the first floor or street level.

Emergency egress

This is the last semester that classroom 278 will be available for instruction. During construction, classroom 278 will be used for emergency egress only and contractor space.

Stop and smell the roses

We hope you smelled the roses this summer, as the plantings in front of the building will make way for progress. But, the whole plaza area will get a facelift and new plantings, which you can see in the landscape plan.  

Let us know what you think

We welcome comments and questions below—let us know what you think of the project and any information that we might provide. Shy? You can even participate anonymously.  

New perspectives

SPEA expansion facing 10th Street.

Take a look at these new renderings of the building's exterior and interior from BSA LifeStructures--let us know what you think.

A view of how the expansion will join the existing SPEA building, approaching from the east.

A glimpse of the plaza. 

The "monumental stair" in the main entry from 10th Street. 

New bike parking and Fall Break hours

Updates from Chad Sweatman, manager, Building Support Services:

• The 50% construction documents on the build out are currently being reviewed by all parties. 
• Ongoing meetings with the design group and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) group are taking place. 
• The initial cost model for the 379 faculty/staff lounge was received and approved this week. Project drawings are slated to begin. 
• Plumbing work remains planned for completion over Christmas break. This work will take place in the ceiling of a couple of the second floor classrooms.
• Shelves were installed in the new restrooms last week.
• The new steam and condensate line has been connected to the building and work is almost complete on that project.
• New bike racks were installed in the parking lot and are in use.

What about Fall Break?

Plan ahead for temporary hour changes during IU’s brief time off. This comes from Jeri Anderson, circulation/technical coordinator, IUBusiness/SPEA Information Commons:

• SPEA Café will be open on Thursday, October 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Friday, October 9.
• Business/SPEA Information Commons will be open on Thursday, October 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, closed on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10. It will reopen Sunday, October 11,  from 5 p.m. to midnight.      

                                        

Planning for bicycles and going for the gold

As SPEA expands, the new construction will envelop the 10th Street bike racks. Some bike parking will remain out front after the building project is completed, but in the meantime, SPEA's bike parking in the back is getting some improvements with a multi-rack bike “parking lot” under construction.

More updates from the building committee

With the architects, the building committee is looking at traffic flow and is in the design phase of HVAC routing. 

Going for the gold

"LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification."

-- U.S. Green Building Council

The LEED certification system considers: 

• Location and transportation (including bicycle parking and a reduced parking footprint)
• Sustainability of the site
• Water efficiency
• Energy and atmosphere
• Materials and resources
• Indoor environmental quality
• And other factors

The Paul H. O'Neill Graduate Center building and expansion project's goal is to receive at least a gold level of LEED certification--the only higher level is platinum.  

Third and fourth floor updates

As of this morning, the newly renovated third and fourth floor restrooms are open--that is ahead of schedule. Hooray!

• We should be able to share blueprints in October--interior schematics continue to be refined
• We've been working on fire escape routes 

And, most importantly:

• The restrooms on the third and fourth floors will be back in service on September 14

Keep up with SPEA's expansion and renovation details

The greatly anticipated new look of SPEA, scheduled for completion in 2017.  

Getting ready for a better building

If you are a part of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, you know a major project is underway to make SPEA an even better place to work and study. A 28,000 square foot expansion and renovation project is scheduled to break ground in winter 2016. 

You can find an overview of the project on our official Paul H. O'Neill Graduate Center page. 

But, for the nitty gritty details on the construction, this is the place. We'll post updates and do all we can to keep you up-to-date on the project. And, if you have any questions send them our way and we'll do our best to get them answered.

Building committee 

This group meets with the architects--BSA LifeStructures--about every two weeks. Dean Graham and Michael McGuire are also very involved. 

• Sergio Fernandez
• Burney Fischer
• Mike Fowler
• Andrea Need
• Megan Siehl

Project updates

Currently the project is in the schematic design phase, planned to go out to bid sometime in October. It will be a standard four-week bid process with construction tentatively set to begin in December, depending upon the bidding, contractor availability, and weather. 

What about the faculty lounge?

Chad Sweatman had a project scope meeting with the architects last week about the faculty lounge. The plan is to have the 379 lab area renovated this winter, with the bulk of the construction (especially plumbing) to take place during winter break. This is all contingent on coordinating the lounge with the rest of the project build out--but getting a lounge back in place, and soon, is the goal.