Business and Technology Building Renovations Completed

Students at Northeastern State University are enjoying a newly renovated Business and Technology building this semester.

Tim Foutch, associate vice president for administration, said the renovation allows the College of Business and Technology to keep its curriculum strong and up-to-date.

"This facility upgrade provides the faculty and staff of the College of Business and Technology an environment much more conducive to continuing its excellence and meeting the needs of the students," Foutch said. "This renovation primarily targeted the building envelop and the major building systems. This summer additional work is scheduled to complete the interior aesthetics of the building."

Originally constructed in 1962 with an addition in 1968, facilities within the structure were incrementally updated over the years, but never comprehensively overhauled, said Joe Spence, NSU Physical Plant director.

The work was a collaboration of 13 contractors working nine months to resolve numerous pre-existing conditions," Spence said. "Over the years the building had various upgrades and changes but nothing that would encompass the entire building and allow the systems to work together."

The renovation was financed with capital bond funds. Many changes were made to the building's exterior, notably the removal of the brick sunscreen on the building's south side and the installment of new windows and doors compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The facility also received a new roof and an improved drainage system to carry water to the city storm water system.

Upgrades also went a little extreme with a 2-foot by 8-foot basement well to control natural ground water that was causing major damage and basement flooding," Spence said. "This work was a huge undertaking and the payoff was noticeable immediately as the water levels dropped and areas began drying out."

The building's electrical and heating and cooling equipment were retrofitted, including the installation of a new computer-controlled 4-pipe HVAC system.

The plumbing for the building was a 2-pipe system, and if you wanted to change from hot to cold the old system would take 2 days to change over," Spence said. "With the new 4-pipe system, hot and cold are both readily available and each room can control its own temperature."

The extremes of Oklahoma seasons will no longer be a challenge for the building's HVAC systems, now outfitted with new hardware and an energy management system to maximize efficiency.

This system now has the capacity to handle the hottest summer days, Spence said. It has a back-up chiller to produce the needed cooling the students and faculty deserve.