Many of Campbell Hall’s occupants have recently found
themselves without a ceiling over their heads as a result of
construction begun last month.
To improve the building’s safety in the event of an
earthquake, Campbell Hall is currently undergoing a $4.7 million
renovation on schedule for completion in October 2006.
The exterior walls and foundation will be reinforced in order to
better absorb seismic energy, preventing the building from collapse
and minimizing damage in the event of an earthquake, said UCLA
spokesman Phil Hampton.
“What we are doing to Campbell is analogous to stiffening
the sides of a shoebox so that it can’t collapse,” he
said.
Funded mostly by the state, the project will renovate over
50,000 square feet of the building to correct seismic deficiencies
such as insufficient concrete shear walls, poor soil conditions,
limited flexibility of upper floors and inadequate connection
between walls and foundation.
After completion, the improvements should upgrade
Campbell’s current seismic rating of “Poor” to
“Good,” according to the Web site for UCLA Capital
Programs, which directs construction around campus.
Campbell’s renovation is part of a series of seismic
upgrades for buildings across campus, most of which have already
been completed. Other buildings under construction for seismic
upgrades include Geology, Health Sciences and Kinsey Hall,
according to the UCLA Capital Programs Web site.
In compliance with state laws, the fire safety system will also
be upgraded, and access for handicapped occupants will undergo
improvements throughout the building. Some insulation will also be
removed from utility pipes to facilitate reinforcement.
Campbell Hall remains operational during construction, and none
of its occupants have been displaced. Hampton said that Capital
Programs has worked to minimize disruption for Campbell’s
residents.
“We try to talk with tenants to schedule times to do
work,” Hampton said. “We usually do interior and loud
work when no one is likely to be in the building. For example, we
worked with the Academic Advancement Program to schedule work that
will remove the ceiling in December when they will be
gone.”
Third-year neuroscience student Jyes Querubin, who tutors in
Campbell, said that the construction has not been a distraction for
her.
“I can’t hear anything when I’m in the
building, so it doesn’t really bother me,” she
said.
However, Asian American Studies Professor Russell Leong, who
works in Campbell, said that the renovation has been
disruptive.
The Asian American Studies office is one of many on the upper
floors whose corridors’ ceilings were recently removed to
access insulation.
“The construction has been very noticeable for us,”
Leong said.
“The dust inside and outside of the building has caused a
lot of coughing and headaches among the staff. We feel a little bit
like animals in a cage.”
The state provides most of the funding for these projects,
including about $3.7 million for Campbell.
Built in 1954, Campbell Hall currently houses the Academic
Advancement Program, American Indian Studies, Asian American
Studies and the Department of Linguistics, as well as general
assignment classrooms.
The building has not been significantly upgraded since first
constructed.