May 31, 2002 - Today's Other News Items

Demolition Begins for Lillis Business Complex

Construction activity on the Lillis Business Complex at the University of Oregon has really taken off since the groundbreaking ceremony with UO officials and lead donors Chuck Lillis, former MediaOne Group chairman, and his wife, Gwen, on April 2.

Site preparation activities such as asbestos abatement, materials recycling and tree removal have been underway since February. However, the level of activity has ratcheted up significantly in recent days.

On April 23, crews from the project's general contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis, began tearing down the old Commonwealth classroom bridge between the wings of Gilbert Hall. Demolition, debris removal and materials recycling is expected to last about three weeks. The space where this 1950s-era structure stood will become the center of the new Lillis Business Complex.

Thanks to private donations, construction of the state-of-the-art complex--home of the university's Charles H. Lundquist College of Business--is beginning despite a state budget crisis and declining public funding of higher education.

Officials say the $40-million facility will be a monument to maximizing available resources: for the student, for the environment and for the future economic health of the state.

"This is a visionary building that will set the standard for business school facilities nationwide," says Philip Romero, business college dean. "This new home will provide the physical architecture needed to deliver a team-based, innovative, world-class education for the business leaders of tomorrow. The building also will be a tremendous example of energy efficiency and sustainable design."

The Commonwealth demolition is the first step that will generate a lot of noise, vibration and dust--potentially impacting a big part of campus. To mitigate these and other potentially disruptive impacts as much as possible, University Planning officials have met with campus stakeholders and developed plans to minimize the possibly negative effects on the campus and learning environment.

"We urge faculty and staff to be understanding of the impacts this major undertaking will have," says Janet Lobue, project manager for Facilities Services. "We have tried very hard to anticipate concerns of the campus community in advance."

Among the included mitigation steps: Signage and "you are here" maps will show detours and accessible routes around the construction zone; crews will try to limit their noisiest activities to early hours to minimize impacts on classes; and workers will reduce dust and fumes by wetting down the construction area regularly and not leaving vehicles idling when unnecessary.

"This building will have a tremendously positive effect on students and the campus when it is completed," says Lobue. "To get there, we need to balance the university's need for minimal disruption with the builder's need to complete the project as quickly and efficiently as possible."

For weekly updates on the construction schedule or other information about the project, browse http://lcb.uoregon.edu/complex/list.html. To go directly to a live web cam view of the site, see http://lcb.uoregon.edu/lillis/.

The four-story, 196,500-square-foot construction and renovation project will update the business college's antiquated Gilbert Hall facilities, the oldest and most cramped among Pac-10 business schools. The school's current quarters were built to accommodate 942 students and 42 faculty members. In 2001-2002, those same facilities served more than 2,500 students and 130 faculty and staff members.

The complex will include 145,000 square feet of new construction to replace Commonwealth Bridge, a classroom facility built in 1952 that connects the two wings of Gilbert Hall, which were finished in 1916 and 1921. The new building and its dramatic glass atrium will provide a distinctive identity and "front door" to the college as well as to the northwest end of campus. The UO business program, ranked first in Oregon and second in the Northwest for undergraduate and Master of Business Administration students, also will benefit from facilities that reflect its academic quality.

Another 37,000 square feet in Gilbert Hall will be renovated substantially, and 14,500 square feet in the 1980s-era Chiles Business Center will be updated. Altogether, the college will gain 600 classroom seats including a new auditorium when the complex opens for the 2003-04 school year.

Much more than just extra room, though, the new complex will offer carefully designed spaces that maximize learning through technology, team project rooms, flexible classrooms, study areas and a career services center. Six learning centers will cluster student resources and faculty offices together around particular disciplines. These shared spaces will unite students, faculty and the business community to facilitate hands-on learning and team-oriented teaching.

The complex also will maximize environmental conditions to minimize its impact on nature. The facility's design will surpass all standards for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability through the use of solar energy panels, water-conserving fixtures, a floor plan that harnesses prevailing breezes for cooling, "smart" electrical controls that turn off lights and non-essential items when not in use, building materials that are recycled or created using sustainable methods, and more.

"Our students learn to make the most of natural advantages. Now their educational environment can do the same," says Romero.

The new educational environment also will help recruit top students and faculty and enable the college to better work in partnership with the business community, which played a key part in making the new building possible.

The project will proceed with $33.6 million in private-sector gifts that have been raised to date. Led by $14 million in gifts from Chuck Lillis, who earned his Ph.D. from the UO business college in 1972, and his wife, Gwen, it is the largest academic building fundraising campaign in UO history.

LCB officials say that private donors and corporate partners have stepped up to invest in the future economic prosperity of the state at a time when the state itself has limited resources to invest.

"Investors in the Lillis Business Complex are providing more than just bricks and mortar; they are changing the lives of students one at a time," says Chris Murray, business college associate dean. "These students will go on to be the next generation of business leaders, starting new companies and reenergizing existing enterprises--providing the economic engine Oregon needs for prosperity."