Formal renovation of Manzanita Hall on the Tempe campus began last week — a remodeling project expected to be complete by fall 2013.
Small renovation projects were performed last year in certain closed-off sections of the building, and students living in the residence hall were relocated to other dorms to prepare for a full renovation.
Associate Vice President of Educational Outreach and Student Services Michael Coakley said the renovations are an opportunity to deal with some of the infrastructure issues in the building such as the plumbing and electricity, which were becoming out of date.
“The project involves the complete demolition of the interior spaces and building infrastructure so as to only leave the structure intact,” Pedro Chavarriaga, senior project manager of Capital Programs Management Group, said in an email. The group is working with ASU on the Manzanita project.
“The renovation shall be a comprehensive upgrade for living areas, study and work areas, lounge areas, outdoor spaces and gathering locations,” Chavarriaga said.
Before demolition can begin asbestos must be removed from the building — a process that began Aug. 16 and is expected to take four months to complete, he said.
Asbestos was widely used in the 1960s when Manzanita was built. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the microscopic fibers in asbestos can cause certain lung diseases if they are released into the air and inhaled. The EPA has a ban on certain asbestos-based products.
Chavarriaga said ASU is very proactive involving campus construction safety, and that many preventative risk measures are in place to prevent exposure to the workers who remove it and to the surrounding area where people may be passing.
Reach the reporter at kmmandev@asu.edu
