Squires Student Center will be getting a new look with pending renovations.
According to Julie Walters-Steele, director of University Unions, studies on Squires began three years ago on the building envelope to identify problem areas causing leaking in the building.
These studies revealed structural damage to the building including water damage and deterioration inside walls. In addition, loose mortar and bricks on the outside of the building proved to be a "critical concern."
During spring break, Carolina Restorations was contracted to remove some of the loose mortar. While removing the mortar, Carolina Restorations found corrosion that was causing the mortar to come loose.
"We knew we needed significant dollars to make permanent repairs," Walters-Steele said.
There is a pending capital fund request to make the renovations and repairs permanent.
Additional sources for funding the project could come from the Virginia Tech Foundation, with naming opportunities to sponsor major rooms in Squires. Another means to raise funds would be through a capital campaign by University Unions and Student Activities.
Many of the functional issues that renovations hope to address are updates to the heating and air conditioning units, which date from 1967, duct work and electrical and plumbing work.
Accompanying these structural changes will also be some visual change.
"Aesthetically, the building has not been updated since the 1989-1990 renovations," Walters-Steele said.
The first steps toward the renovation process started at the end of the spring semester when students were asked to vote on different color palettes and styles of furniture on display in Squires Student Center.
Design boards on the first floor of Squires also show the plans for different areas of the student center, such as the "BreakZone" and the dining .
Part of the remodeling process also includes introducing more environmentally sound materials into the building. The Perspective Gallery has installed new eco-friendly bamboo flooring. Bamboo flooring is more environmentally friendly as bamboo grows relatively fast and harvested every five to six years.
Other changes in the art gallery include installing more efficient lighting by switching to the use of low watt halogen lights to reduce energy.
Other environmental changes taking place include renovating bathrooms with low flush toilets, auto flush toilets, auto shutoff lighting, auto faucets that save water, and compact fluorescent lighting.
Leave a comment 0 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.