$14.3 Million Becht Hall Renovation Starts; Includes 45 Geothermal Wells

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published January 31, 2014 5:45 am
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IMG_8132CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Work on a new lease on life for Clarion University’s Becht Hall started in January with an extensive $14.3 million renovation and historical conversion of the 105-year-old building.  

Scheduled for completion in July 2015, the project also includes a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The revitalized Becht Hall will house and support Clarion’s Center for Student Success.

The project includes converting and renovating the existing building into offices, classrooms, and a campus health center and student activity space. The design is intended to support Clarion University’s Center for Student Success while preserving the historic Spanish/French-style of architecture. The building, constructed in 1908, boasts a pantile roof, Spanish gables, and light colored brick.

The new Becht is expected to house student services, including registration, admissions, financial aid, student billing, career services, housing, orientation, counseling and health services, academic enrichment, disability support services, student identification cards, student meal plans, and parking permits.

Ric Taylor, director of facilities planning and management at Clarion University, said the Commonwealth appropriated $14.34 million from its capital budget for the renovation and another $1 million for furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

Major features of the project includes:

• Demolition of the existing steel, cast iron, wood, and masonry interior structure

• Installation of a new interior steel frame with concrete floors and a new foundation

• Installation of a new geothermal heating/cooling system with a new well field

Taylor confirmed Becht Hall would be heated and cooled with a geothermal system.

“On the site of the former Chandler Dining Hall east of Becht Hall, 45 wells will be installed that are 375 feet deep,” said Taylor. 

“In the summer, water that has been circulated throughout the building and has absorbed the heat from the air will be pumped to the well field.  There the water will circulate through the wells and dissipate the heat to the soil and bedrock, where a constant temperature of about 55 degrees is naturally maintained.  The reverse is true in the winter where thermal energy from the ground is transferred to the circulating water of the wells and provides warm water to heat pumps throughout the building that distribute warm air to the occupied areas.”

Installation will start soon and last for about 60 days, according to Taylor.

The project, like other buildings constructed on campus in recent years, will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

The Gilbane Building Company was selected by Clarion University to provide project management services for the Becht project. Gilbane Inc., based in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the largest privately held family-owned real estate development and construction firms in the industry.

“The Department of General Services (DGS) delegated the project to us, which means that while they are funding the project, the University is managing it,” said Taylor. “Since Clarion’s project staff amounts to me and an in-house project manager, who tends to the numerous other smaller projects underway, PASSHE requested that we hire a construction manager to help us oversee the project.  This is similar to a non-delegated project where DGS usually also hires a project management firm to assist their in-house staff.”

Gilbane will provide overall site management for the 50,000 square foot residence hall, scheduling review, safety inspections, and quality management.

“We recognize the positive impact this facility will have on the campus and how the renovation will allow Clarion University to better serve their students,” said Allison Stawarz, Area Manager. “The building will serve as the campus epicenter for student activity.”

The 1908 construction of Navarre Hall marked Clarion’s departure from tradition and the introduction of a Spanish-French design in a residence hall. Later rechristened Becht Hall, Navarre’s architects went on to design major buildings at USC in California.

Navarre Hall’s cream-colored brick, sandstone trimmings and dark red tiled roof were in pleasant contrast with the drab buildings on the campus. The floor plans of the building drawn by Professor Wilkinson included the living accommodations, a reception hall, offices, parlors, and a five hundred seat capacity dining hall.

 

 

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