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New chemistry, engineering facility moves forward

Posted on | November 4, 2009 | 259 views |

By Adam King

In the early stages of President Gordon Gee’s One University Framework campus master planning review, the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was slated to move from Koffolt Lab into a rebuilt Lord Hall on 17th Avenue.

But the review found that location to be too far away to keep an envisioned science and engineering corridor intact.

Meanwhile, the Department of Chemistry’s synthetics group, which was to be paired with chemcial and biomolecular engineering, was in need of new space as well with Evans Lab falling more into disrepair.

The situation became the perfect opportunity to demonstrate one of the core concepts of the One Framework. Since many of the needs of the two departments are similar, they’ll now be paired into a new building along 19th Avenue.

“The overall university plan is not to increase the square footage in terms of footprint but the quality and impact of square footage we devote to teaching and research,” said Malcolm Chisholm, chair of the Department of Chemistry. “To bring these departments into proximity is about fostering interactions. When it comes to getting research dollars, federal or otherwise, one needs to hunt in packs and you may need an engineer, physicist, chemist or biologist as part of a team to solve some of these important problems that Ohio State is focusing on.”

The Board of Trustees gave the go-ahead in October to enter the design stage for the 200,000-square-foot structure, which also will help Ohio State avoid tens of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance since four old buildings are coming down in order to build the new one: Aviation Building, Johnston Lab and Boyd and Haskett halls.

Coming down

A quartet of buildings that are considered past their prime will be removed beginning in 2012 to make way for a new structure that will house part of the Department of Chemistry and the entire William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Clockwise from left are the Aviation Building (the adjoined Johnston Lab is slated for demolition as well), Boyd Hall and Haskett Hall. The Board of Trustees gave its approval for the new building, part of which will be called Koffolt Lab, to enter the design phase. Construction will be completed in 2014.

At the same time, combining the departments in one location builds on Gee’s One University philosophy of collaboration, said Stuart Cooper, chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering. He noted many of his faculty have joint appointments, and it just makes sense to have like-minded departments working together.

“There are commonalities in terms of energy, nanotechnology and biotechnology that nicely overlap both disciplines,” Cooper said.

“There also are things unique to chemical engineering that the new building will accommodate. It’s a nice realization to me of the vision that President Gee has for how the campus should look in the future. These joint engineering-science buildings are going up around the country, sometimes with chemistry, sometimes with biological sciences. But this is our fit and I think it will work out nicely.

“In addition, this new building will support the “Students First” theme of our campus since it will provide CBE the means to continue offering a first-rate undergraduate education program by investing in interactive classrooms and laboratories.”

The $126 million building, of which $96.5 million will come from state capital use funds, will begin construction in 2012 with a 2014 move-in date. Chemistry, which has raised $2 million of its required $12 million in private donations, will occupy 43,600 square feet of the 109,000 square feet of usable space with chemical and biomolecular engineering (CBE) taking the rest. Thanks to William Lowrie’s $17 million gift to engineering, the first that went toward naming a department at Ohio State, CBE has raised $13 million of its $17.5 million portion.

Lowrie’s gift also ensures keeping the Koffolt name with the CBE department, so CBE’s portion of the building will retain the Koffolt Lab name. Chemistry’s portion of the building is open for naming rights.

Jointly the departments have applied for $15 million in federal stimulus dollars to the National Institutes of Standards and Technology as well as the National Institutes of Health. They should know within four months if that money is approved.

Though the building is five years from becoming reality, it’s already having a positive effect on both departments.

Cooper said CBE would be able to continue competing for high-quality faculty, who might have considered other universities that had already invested in more modern facilities.

“Three to four years down the road is not a great time to wait for faculty who plan to spend a career here,” Cooper said, “so we’re already showing rough sketches to faculty prospects. This also will transform us in terms of good, quality space for our participation in some of the important themes in OSU research in energy, biotech and nanotech.”

One Framework is a comprehensive master plan that establishes a long-range (20-50 years) physical vision for the Ohio State campus. It will be a structure for guiding change over time that connects ideas, information, and implementation.

The plan is unique in that it involves the entire campus and the surrounding community rather than individual parts such as athletics or the Medical Center or Student Life. It is expected to be complete and ready for approval by the board by late winter or early spring 2010.

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