Space and Remodeling Committee 12/16

The Space and Remodeling Committee meet on 12/16. In this meeting we went over the allocation of different funds the committee looks over and approves. Many of the funds went towards minor remodeling projects which were mostly used to improve classroom space. The major topic that was discussed was the five year campus fume hood program. This project's goal was to replace the fume hoods on campus that did not meet the ventilation standards. The project was called successful by the committee because 98.9% of the fume hoods meet the ventilation standards. The replacement of the bad fume hoods also created significant energy savings which helped the goal of reaching 20% energy reduction by 2010. The SPRC approved the request of the physical plant for an additional five years for the fume hood program. This money would be spend to research and improve the flow of air to reduce the energy cost of ventilation in the buildings. 

Space and Remodeling Committee

Space and Remodeling Committee our first meeting of the year. We were informed about how the UW ranked near the bottom compared to its peers in usage of classrooms. UW uses an average classroom for about 27 out of the 40 available hours. To give you an idea of other schools, Purdue ranks at the top using their classrooms at an average about 45 out of the 50 hours. A presentation was give about energy conservation. Some key points for students were, the money used to pay for updating buildings will come from the 20 million dollars the state provides or other sources not from segregated fees. In the long run the money put into updating the building will save the university more money. There was an idea purposed about having a class about how to save energy which would be mandatory for every student to take before they graduate. Finally the goal of meeting 20 percent energy reduction by 2010 is expected to be reached.