The first phase of the Intramural Building renovations, which will add exercise space and improve existing workout facilities, will begin Monday, an Office of Physical Plant official said.
The building will remain open during the construction, but students and other users will need to enter in the back of the building, OPP Communications Coordinator Paul Ruskin said. The front entrance will be closed beginning Monday and will remain closed for most of the construction, Ruskin said.
Ruskin said later on, the construction will temporarily interfere with the sidewalk. Curtin Road, where the IM Building is located, will remain open. Workers will also be installing a new, covered bus shelter that will protect people from the weather, he said.
The majority of the building will be air-conditioned after renovations, Ruskin said.
The IM Building addition will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified, Ruskin said. That adds student-friendly features, like water bottle refilling stations. The additional space will have more natural daylight and greater circulation of outside air, Ruskin said.
"Anytime we add energy efficiency to any building on campus, that makes the university a more energy-efficient institution," Ruskin said. "That's always the right thing to do."
Hachiro Oishi, IM Building Facility & Event Coordinator, said the renovations will add a check-in desk in the lobby, where employees will verify users' identities for security reasons.
The construction may cause some inconvenience, but the building will hopefully be better finished, Oishi said. The work area will be fenced in, and employees will try to keep it as neat as possible, he said.
Ruskin said the first phase of renovations should be complete in May 2014. Other phases remain in future planning, he said.
Read Monday's edition of The Daily Collegian for more details.
