The final phase of a three-year, $7.6 million project to renovate the three Sheen buildings is nearly complete.<\/p>\n
Faculty have moved into their offices and students have settled into labs and classrooms in the newly renovated wing for math, physics and computer science (or MPC for short). The 14,000-square foot \u00a0wing was completely gutted and retrofitted with new electrical, plumbing, air conditioning systems and storm-resistant windows.<\/p>\n
Collectively the three wings total 35,000 square feet and have been renamed the Sheen Center. The other two wings are for Environmental Studies and Behavioral Sciences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are like brand new buildings,\u201d said Bill McKenna, director of planning, development and construction.<\/p>\n
The renovations maintained the 1960s-era design of the buildings, which Eckerd folks have affectionately dubbed \u201cPolynesian Gothic.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few exterior details are still in the works \u2014 some landscaping and an electric-car charging station, for example \u2014 but the bulk of the project is finished, said Professor of Environmental Studies Alison Ormsby, Ph.D., the project\u2019s \u201cshepherd,\u201d or faculty liaison.<\/p>\n
The most significant aspect of the project was reorganizing disciplines into the three separate wings to allow for easy collaboration, and upgrading the labs, Ormsby said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody gained through this renovation,\u2019\u2019 said Ormsby. Both Environmental Studies and Behavioral Science get their own buildings for the first time.<\/p>\n
McKenna agreed. \u201cMath, physics and computer sciences, as well as Environmental Studies, were grossly undersized,\u2019\u2019 McKenna said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing we had the quality of instruction we had. It\u2019s a tribute to our faculty. It\u2019s a huge step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another major goal was to create comfortable common areas in each of the buildings to encourage collaboration. \u201cWe wanted to create \u2018soft spaces\u2019 where students can gather and interact with faculty and with each other,\u2019\u2019 Ormsby explained. A lot of learning happens in spontaneous encounters, and the common areas have helped stimulate that, she said.<\/p>\n
But the project also created many new and technologically enhanced teaching spaces,\u00a0including five computer classrooms, five new labs for physics and environmental studies\u00a0and four classrooms, all with state-of-the-art projection equipment.<\/p>\n