CAC sets green building standard
By Tyler Einberger
photo by Tyler Einberger
James Eagon leads a tour of the Communication Arts
Center construction Oct. 10 as attendees survey the progress
The new fully accessible and environmentally sustainable Communication Arts Center will finally be unveiled in 2009.
The new building will boast several innovative features including carbon dioxide sensors. These sensors recognize that people are in the building based on the carbon dioxide levels. If no carbon dioxide is detected, the building systems will become idle.
“You can imagine the energy savings that this building will have. Typically in a building like this, the heating, cooling, lighting, and other building systems run 24/7,” senior architect; SHE Inc., Trevor Frank said.
The building will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certified buildings demonstrate energy conservation and address concerns for site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
“Green is the new black. Living green sets an example that everyone should follow. I am proud to be a student at a school that is taking an active role in displaying the need for environmental responsibility,” sophomore Nick Thiel said.
UW-Fox hopes to set a standard of green building in the community and for other schools.
“We will be a leader in environmental sustainability and energy efficiency among the community, as well as colleges and universities,” executive director of the UW-Fox Foundation, Lisa Weiner said.
According to Frank, the building also has a roof that can support vegetation; and it eventually will.
When the construction of the new Communication Arts Center began, 100 ‘winter friendly’ parking spaces were removed from the UW-Fox Valley parking lot. When the CAC is complete, 80 new parking spaces will be returned south of the new building upon completion.
Some students are more concerned about the lost parking spaces than sustainable new addition to the campus.
“I hear a lot of people complaining about the current parking situation. I think to myself, ‘there has to be something better to complain about’. It’s not like anyone has to park more than a five-minute’s walk away.
They have completely blown the situation out of proportion,” Thiel said.
photo by Tyler Einberger
Construction of the Communications Arts Center is scheduled
is scheduled to be completed by June 2009
Even before the project began, assistant dean for administrative services and campus liaison, Jim Eagon was aware of parking space deficiency.
UW-Fox developed a relationship with Sabre Lanes in order to provide more parking for students.
“Rather than paving what green area is left on campus, it makes more sense to make use of the area that is already paved,” Eagon said.
“When the temperature is below zero, parking in the Sabre Lanes lot is kind of a bummer, but I don’t mind the walk; it gets my blood pumping for class,” Thiel said.
Currently, there are no issues that will delay the completion date, which is set for June 2009.
“Early on, we faced environmental challenges with the soil,” Frank said.
“While we had anticipated some problems with the soil conditions on the site, the project was larger than our testing indicated.
"Early on we had to spend a little more time and money addressing those underground conditions,” Eagon said.
The building will include offices, classrooms, a scenic shop, equipment storage and a new auditorium.
“The auditorium is the highlight of the building. I am most excited about the fact that it can seat 361 people at the same time; the seats will be handicap accessible and comfortable,” Weiner said.
Even though the need for the facility was identified 30 years ago, the project’s birth was very recent.
A couple of years ago UW-Fox Valley, along with Winnebago and Calumet county, requested proposals from architects to do a needs analysis of the existing multipurpose facility.
The analysis revealed some code issues, which did not meet current disability accessibility requirements.
“It just so happened that there were a couple of handicap students [present]. They brought their case forward to [the counties] and it strengthened the story for UW-Fox and pushed the need and urgency forward,” Frank said.
Despite the case made with the help of the handicap students, UW-Fox didn’t have $12.6 million to make the dream come true, and the counties weren’t quite convinced.
“We faced some political challenges early on. It’s [difficult] to make a case that County funded the construction for the project. The state of Wisconsin will give UW-Fox $1.45 million for “movable equipment.
Moveable equipment includes: furniture, staging equipment, band shells, and tools.
There was no tuition money used to fund the construction of the Communications Art Center.
Upon completion, a dedication of the building will take place, which will consist of a series of events honoring the donors who made the project possible. The events are tentatively planned for fall 2009 and will have representation from the board, faculty, and students.