LEGAL ISSUES MILITARY
with other educational institutions of the same caliber. Te Army Corps is constructing the new science cen-
ter by renovating and combining two existing buildings: the academy’s old science building, Bartlett Hall, that was originally constructed in 1913, and the academy’s nearby old library. Since the campus is a national historic landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings and monuments, the Army Corps was asked to perform the work by keep- ing the gray and black granite shells of both Neo-Gothic buildings intact. Tey are doing this by gutting and renovating the interiors of both buildings and connected them to create one large science center.
“At West Point, we encourage the cadets to perform hands-on science experiments, and this building’s new design is helping us expand on this. Te Army Corps is taking this opportunity to rethink how the science needs to be taught,” said COL. John Graham, Associate Dean for Research and Chief Scientist, U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “Instead of having five or 10 cadets doing the same experiment, two are now doing it. Tis is amazing. When- ever you do science in a large group, obviously someone always gets left behind in the group, but when there are two, they both can play an active role in the work. We are revolutionizing how we do science here.” Graham, who is a West Point graduate, added: “We
used to have limitations on what scientific experiments are cadets could do because it wasn’t safe. Now they can do them. Our faculty is very excited. For example, piping was placed strategically so that the cadets can move fluids around during chemistry experiments and outlets were located to better facilitate the use of the computers in the labs.”
Te cadets are already benefiting by the Army Corps’
work. Tey are performing the renovating in one area of the construction site while classes are safely taking place in another area of the site. Tis allows the cadets to get their courses completed without any delay due to the construc- tion.
Astronaut Robert S. (Shane) Kimbrough, mission specialist and alumnus of the USMA of West Point. Credit: NASA.
When completed, the new science center will be an expanded and modernized multi-purpose science facility that will sit on 300,000 square feet of property. Te com- plex will have larger classrooms and labs and new equip- ment for the cadets to study physics, optics, laser technol- ogy, chemistry, life sciences, biology and biochemistry. Te Army Corps is working in collaboration with the academy to make renovations that will improve the science education for the cadets and accommodate the needs of the faculty. Tese improvements include constructing larger labs
with more state-of-the-art equipment to accommodate the 4,400 cadets that are all required to take chemistry and physics.
Te Army Corps may be modernizing the academy’s science education, but they are maintaining the histor- ic look and feel of the campus. Tey are doing this by preserving the building’s granite exteriors with their old glazed, leaded glass-paned windows. Tey are also preserving other historic elements of the buildings including some of the interior stone walls, marble, slate from wrought iron railings and tile flooring, as well as a staircase and ceiling archways. “Te goal for historic integrity is not to try to copy
or mimic. It’s to try to blend in and replicate and make it look new but still take on some of the details of the old architecture,” said Jeffery Friese, Senior Project Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. Doing this is not easy, said Friese. “It’s very challeng- ing to just gut the interior and leave the exterior. Tis is especially so when you have limited access to the building because there is limited space around the building, limited areas to get in and out of the building and when there is an occupied building next door. Tis is a very congested area of the post.”
Another challenge for the engineers is the wiring. “When you turn a library into a science building, there
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