PORT ANGELES — Material from four razed buildings on the Peninsula College campus is being smashed for recycling as the college prepares to begin construction of Maier Hall in November.
Ninety-five percent of the materials from Buildings F, G, H and I — which were built in the 1960s — will be recycled or reused, President Tom Keegan said.
“It is fascinating to watch them sort through all of it, because with the crane they’ll pick up something like a metal window frame and carefully pick that up and put it in the metal pile — it’s like an artist,” Keegan said.
“Once I even saw him pick up a 2- or 3-foot pipe and with the crane throw it about 20 feet over to the metal pile. Everyone applauded when he did that.”
The new building will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standards, Keegan said.
As part of meeting those standards, it will have strategically-placed windows to make use of daylight, natural ventilation and a moss roof.
Geothermal wells have also been drilled to heat the building. Geothermal wells use the natural heat of the earth to warm the building.
The college received about $36 million from the state Legislature to fund the construction of the 61,750-square-foot building.
The new building will be 36,104 square feet larger than the four buildings it replaces.
“Some of that is a little misleading though, because a great deal of it is taken up in hallways,” Keegan said.
Much of the waste will become fill for the foundation of the new building.
Many of the cabinets and other materials from science labs have been earmarked for other destinations.
“Some of them will go to our extensions in Port Townsend and Forks,” Keegan said. “Some will go to Clallam Bay prison. We’ve also put some in the Port Angeles School District.
“We aren’t allowed to give things away, so they are technically on loan.”
The destruction of the four buildings which were built in the 1960s began in mid-August and is nearing completion.
The new building is expected to be complete in March 2011.
“Until then, we have shuffled some classes around and it will be tight quarters until then,” Keegan said.
“But it should be complete in just about a year and a half.”
The classrooms will include special classrooms for music and art as well as a performance hall that will hold about 130 people.
“It will be a more intimate setting for performances than our Little Theater,” Keegan said.
Currently, materials and construction vehicles are parked on the campus’ green between what will be the new building and the Science and Technology Building.
Art on the grounds
Eventually, that area will house a water feature with models of the Olympic Mountains capped in copper created by artists Peter and Sue Richards, Keegan said.
A percentage of every project funded by the state is required to be reserved for art.
The college is combining the funds from the Science and Technology Building, the new library and Maier Hall to fund the art.
“We wanted to combine all the funds so we could have a really nice art project,” Keegan said.
“It will be a beautiful area for students to gather.”
__________
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.