Aubert Hall renovations nearing completion in time for fall classes
This fall, an estimated 700 University of Maine students will be taking their general chemistry courses in two of the newly renovated laboratories in Aubert Hall. The renovations were made possible as part of a 2013 bond passed by Maine voters for updates and improvements to labs and classrooms on all University of Maine System campuses.
UMaine received $5.5 million of the bond monies to fund facility upgrades in Aubert ($2.7 million); Little Hall ($1.7 million); Boardman Hall ($700,000); and Bennett Hall ($450,000). The projects chosen were among UMaine’s highest-demand classrooms and labs. The improvements in Aubert were in the original wing of the building, constructed in 1911. The other three facilities were built in the 1950s.
The renovation work began last summer with improvements to four classrooms in Bennett, and all is being done by Maine contractors.
In January, renovation began on an approximately 4,000-square-foot area on the fourth floor of Aubert Hall, focusing on two general chemistry labs, two classrooms seating 50 and 24, a chemistry preparation room, and associated halls and stairways. The fourth-floor renovations ultimately created three new undergraduate teaching areas in underutilized spaces. On the third floor, a 210-seat lecture hall also is receiving substantial renovation. Construction in Aubert is expected to be completed by mid-August.
Both renovation projects in Boardman and Little halls started this past May. In the basement of Boardman, construction in civil engineering’s concrete lab to improve the quality of the teaching facility is expected to be completed Sept. 1. Little Hall is undergoing extensive renovations in two first-floor lecture halls, as well as major upgrades to the HVAC, electrical and life safety systems. The project is expected to be completed for spring semester classes.