The University of Oregon currently has multiple construction projects taking place on campus, from the likes of Kalapuya Ilihi Hall, the Hamilton Walton Transformation Project and the Heritage Renovation Project.
Darin Dehle, UO director of design and construction, said that Kalapuya Ilihi is undergoing construction due to structural issues that have created cracks in the walls of the building.
“Currently, what’s going on is we’re fixing some structural issues with the building to make sure that it is safe for the condition of if there’s an earthquake,” Dehle said.
Dehle said that the source of the issue is something that cannot be spoken about nor has been determined yet due to ongoing legal action.
Global Scholars Hall previously experienced a similar issue during construction that generated deflection in the floors that are now structurally stable, according to Dehle.
Construction at Kalapuya is set to finish in March of 2025 and the residence hall will be open for reoccupation in the fall of 2025. The pricing for this construction project is not allowed to be commented on because of the legal action, Dehle said.
“We’re currently finishing work related to the structural upgrades, but to do them, we had to take a lot of spaces apart,” Dehle said. “So we have to put all those back together between now and spring so that we can reoccupy in the fall.”
Phase Three of the Hamilton Walton Transformation Project is currently underway, which consists of “removing Hamilton Hall and turning that area into a green space for campus,” Dehle said.
The overall project is expected to cost over $200 million, Dehle said.
“Right now, we have students in Hamilton Hall because of the fact that Kalapuya is closed down,” Dehle said. “And so we are scheduled to start the demolition process on that as soon as Kalapuya is finished.”\
According to Dehle, the demolition of Hamilton is anticipated to begin next summer, and there will also be the insertion and construction of beach volleyball courts on the same green space that is set to be ready by early September 2025.
The Heritage Renovation Project is the name of the construction project consisting of the renovations of University Hall and Villard Hall, UO’s two oldest buildings. The budget for the Heritage Project is about $87.8 million, Dehle said, and about $62.6 million is coming from state funding.
“Right now, we have basically demolished the interior portions of those buildings that were getting renovated,” Dehle said. “We were doing structural updates with those buildings because both of those buildings were built prior to 1900 and are unreinforced masonry buildings, so they would not perform very well in an earthquake.”
Dehle said that over the course of the next year they will begin putting offices and classrooms back together in the spaces for reoccupancy.
Other concerns with both buildings were ADA compliance issues, old systems within the buildings like heat and air conditioning, old elevators, old bathrooms and old AV equipment within the classrooms. These are all being renovated and brought up to code, according to Dehle.
The outsides of the buildings are undergoing restoration work, as well.
“The windows have all been taken out at this point in time and they’re all getting fixed, they’re not getting replaced, we’re keeping as much of the old product there as we can, but they’re doing a lot of repairs,” Dehle said.