New furniture, retiled bathrooms, freshly painted rooms and updated wiring for the wireless Internet era are among the upgrades students will find in several University of Colorado at 麻豆影院 residence halls this fall.
More than $22 million in renovations took place at a half dozen residence and dining halls this summer as part of the university's annual effort to increase conveniences and comfort for students adjusting to life away from home.
Among other changes, incoming and returning students will find more eco-friendly grounds, fresh turf, new paving stones and upgraded fire alarms, smoke detectors and energy-efficient electrical fixtures. Shower stalls with extra room to dry off and other enhancements stem from students' suggestions.
Such renovation projects not only make for happier students, they become golden opportunities to update and preserve historic campus buildings in need of 21st century amenities, said Curt Huetson, director of facilities planning and operations and housing and dining services.
"We try to get it all done over the summer so that the facilities are ready for the students in the fall," he said. "Over the long haul, these improvements will save the university millions of dollars in energy costs and annual maintenance costs."
RAMP or Residential Annual Modernization Program projects are regularly scheduled, but other renovations cover first-time overhauls of aging interiors.
At Cheyenne Arapaho Hall, contractors updated community bathrooms, installed new flooring, doors, electronic locks and window coverings and repainted the building's entire interior. Refurbished rooms have bright new furniture and padded note-board walls, and bathrooms feature new sinks, countertops, low-flow toilets and showerheads and walls with tiled CU logos.
Ongoing at the 1960s-era Kittredge Complex is a $12.9 million project to renovate Arnett Hall. Workers are reconfiguring spaces for the Kittredge Honors Program, removing asbestos and installing central air-conditioning, air ventilation, plumbing and new wiring for television access, coaxial hookups and a wireless local area network. The remodeled building is scheduled to open next July.
Green projects enable the university to meet today's environmentally conscious and more stringent construction standards. Recycling of construction materials and use of high-efficiency windows, low-energy compact fluorescent lights and other eco-friendly features may earn Arnett a LEED silver certification, the U.S. Green Building Council's third-highest ranking for green construction. Contractors expect to complete the entire renovation within five years.
"There is only so much you can do with older buildings, but certification is foremost on our minds campuswide," Huetson said.
At Sewall Hall, CU's oldest residence hall, workers will complete some $6.5 million in dining hall and kitchen renovations before the fall semester, said Steve Hecht, manager of the campus' housing projects group.
Original wainscoting, parquet floors and coffered ceilings are a few of the legacy features in the building's newly expanded and renovated dining areas. In the kitchen, workers have installed new tile, food coolers, a dumb waiter and a stainless steel "pulper" that grinds up leftover food for composting.
"Sewall is, perhaps, the most recognized and beloved of all of the campus' residence halls," Hecht said. "It's important that we preserve the building's character while expanding and improving interior and exterior spaces."
Built in 1934, Sewall's red-tile roof, pink sandstone walls and turrets, limestone arches, Romeo-and-Juliet balconies, internal courtyards and a lion-ensconced fountain are among the Tuscan Vernacular details conceived by campus architect Charles Z. Klauder. His vision of Italian architecture set against a backdrop of rugged Rocky Mountain foothills has ranked CU-麻豆影院 among the nation's most beautiful university campuses.
For more information, visit housing.colorado.edu/housing/h_index.cfm and fm.colorado.edu/architect/principles.html.