Construction update

Placing the fan in the fume hood on the new Chemical Storage Facility required a crane and some expert maneuvering.

The first half of 2008 is going to be busy on the construction front with the completion of the Chemical Storage Facility and the demolition of the structures on Coburg Road.

The $6-million Chemical Storage Facility is due to be occupied by April 1. The state-of-the-art structure is on the north side of the Chemistry Building between the back of the current building and the Dunn parking lot.

The facility is designed to handle many of the university’s chemicals and to contain any explosion or fire that could result from the handling of chemicals.

The project also includes an exhaust tower that houses fans which are currently operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The fans will dilute the exhaust fumes in a more effective manner than in the past. The new exhaust fans on the tower replace the old fan systems which have been dismantled and removed, says Jeff Lamb, director of Facilities Management.

“This is an ultramodern facility with all the latest advancements in chemical storage and handling,” says Mr. Lamb.

The facility will be ready at the end of this academic term. “We want to make sure that everything is functional and working properly,” he says.

The building also will be the home of the award-winning Chemical Exchange Program. It gathers surplus chemicals from research and other programs and makes them available for use. The program is an award winner of  the Canadian Association of University Business Officers for excellence in quality and productivity.

The second major project under way this winter will be the demolition of the buildings on the corner of Coburg and LeMarchant. The tower, the church and the house next to the structures are all slated to come down.

Verhagen Demolition Ltd. of New Glasgow will begin work mid-January, under the direction of construction manager Aecon Atlantic and project leader Omar Khartabil.

Another exciting project on the books for this year is the Life Sciences Research Institute, LSRI. The federal government is sending Dalhousie its $15 million contribution and further planning will soon be under way.