After five years of construction, $8,570,000 worth of renovations on Saint Mary's Madeleva Hall were completed in time for the 2013-2014 school year, director of energy management Ben Bowman said.
The renovations, which began in 2008, were composed of three project phases: the interior gutting, east and west side landscape changes and the window project.
"We first began by gutting the entire interior of the building," Bowman said. "We remodeled everything, took out all of the interior walls and even took out the mechanical system. That system includes heating, air conditioning, plumbing and ventilation."
This first phase of the project cost the College $7,000,0000 and was the first remodeling effort done to the building since it was built in 1967, Bowman said. This phase of the project was completed in 2009.
"The building was due for a remodeling," College President Carol Ann Mooney said. "It is now a very different building than it was and is better able to serve faculty and students."
The second phase of the project began in 2010 and started with the remodeling of the west side landscape, Bowman said.
"We really revamped the landscape outside of the building during this phase of the project," he said. "During the west side remodeling, we worked to meet the standard requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Work on the east side landscape began in 2011, Bowman said.
"This is when we created the outdoor education space that has the labyrinth out there," Bowman said. "This is a great place for students to meet. I even know of some math professors who roll white boards out there and teach class outdoors."
Bowman said the last phase of the project began in 2012 with the start of the window replacement.
"Madeleva is 70,000 square feet, and approximately 50 percent of the building is composed of glass or windows," Bowman said. "Therefore, it is important that these windows provide good insulation."
Before the window replacement, Bowman said the windows blocked only 40 percent of the sun's heat.
"The original windows were single-paned," Bowman said. "During the summer, you could feel the heat radiating off of the windows while standing inside, and in the winter, frost would formulate on the inside."
With the installation of double-paned windows, Bowman said the College saves anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of energy costs.
"The new windows we went with are one-inch and double-pane insulated with two sheets of glass," Bowman said. "It blocks 90 percent of the heat gain, so on the inside you only feel 10 percent of the sun's heat coming into the space, reducing the energy for heating and cooling in the building. Essentially, the building is more eco-friendly."
Bowman said the window project marked the finish of the five-year renovations, but the department is looking to renovate the north side landscape of the Hall.
"The only side we didn't touch is the north side of Madeleva," Bowman said. "What we are looking at now is renovating this space into what would be called Sr. Madeleva Gardens. We currently have a dedication for her at this entrance and it would be nice for this dedication to extend outside."
Bowman said he has been working with grounds services to draw up visions for the garden, but as of now, these plans are only potential donor opportunities.
"We have a strict policy of not starting construction projects until we have raised the money," Mooney said. "That is the reason we won't have any major visible construction projects on campus during this school year."
Contact Kaitlyn Rabach at krabac01@saintmarys.edu
