On Monday, August 31, Bethel University will begin construction of a 3,000-square-foot space that will house two new biology lab classrooms. The initial construction will involve installation of the foundation footings, ordering of long-term materials, and other site preparation. After the 10^th day of classes, President Barnes and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will determine whether enrollment is strong enough to proceed with the construction. If all goes according to plan, construction will be completed by the end of 2009 so that the labs are ready for use during spring semester.

The biology labs, which are necessary to educate an increasing number of nursing and science students, will be located between the Academic Center (AC) and the Clauson Center (CC), south of Brushaber Commons, on the 1^st floor level. The space will also include new animal storage for the sciences. The roof of the biology lab will be an art plaza.

During construction, the south exit doors of Brushaber Commons, the outside emergency exit from classroom AC226, and the 2^nd floor southwest door of the CC building (leading to the Johnson Gallery) will not be available. In addition, there will be very limited access to the back stairwell entrance into Benson Great Hall. Students and employees should be especially aware of these changes in emergency exits.

“There will be a lot of noise and disruptive activity during the construction, so we are asking the Bethel community for an extra dose of patience during this period,” said Facilities Management Director Tom Trainor.

Mortenson will be doing the construction, and their offices will be housed in the old Bethel Student Association office during the building process.

Construction Site Layout | Architectural Sketch