After months of renovation and construction, the newly-renamed Lindquist Hall is finally open for classes at Weber State University.
Formerly known as the Social Science building, Lindquist Hall features several modifications and improvements meant to enhance student education. It now includes 34 classrooms, 72 faculty offices, a three-story atrium, a testing center, a public computer lab and a 150-seat lecture hall.
All classrooms and laboratories contain the latest in audio and visual equipment that will be used for the criminal science and forensics, psychology, neuroscience, archaeology and biological anthropology departments.
In addition, the classroom structure now includes tables that fit two or more students at a time, meant to be a more flexible arrangement, for professors who have the option to organize their class into groups and encourage an interactive learning environment.
The remodeled building is significantly larger in size than its predecessor. At roughly 119,000 square feet, the architectural layout has more windows and open hallways, increasing its aesthetic appeal and making it easier for students to navigate and locate their classes.
“It is a vastly improved building and is much more brighter and lighter,” Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Francis Harrold said. “The old building was hard to find your way around. It was dark, and it was dim.”
The building was named after John E. Lindquist, who contributed $5 million to the renovation project. The remainder of its funding was dealt by the state legislature, which approved a $14 million allocation in 2017 and a $15 million allocation in 2018 to construction.
One of the primary goals of the project was to completely modernize the structure while simultaneously remaining energy efficient. Toward that end, geothermal wells, established in the northwest corner of campus, act as the main source of heating and cooling for the building.
“It’s entirely new, and because of advances in technology, we’ve been able to need less space for heating and mechanical air conditioning,” Harrold said.
Another major priority during construction of Lindquist Hall was to ensure student convenience and comfort: engineers included several areas for students to unwind during their down time.
“We’ve gone through some trouble to make a lot more space for students to sit and check their email or study in between classes,” Harrold said.
WSU officials are always looking for new opportunities to improve campus facilities and enhance the student learning environment. With new possibilities for funding in the future, the renovation of other buildings at WSU may be on the horizon.
“Facilities Management has a systematic way of looking at and evaluating buildings and prioritizing what’s next,” Harrold said. “Next are a couple of engineering buildings, which we hope to get funding for from the state legislature.”
The grand-opening of Lindquist Hall takes place at 2 p.m. on Jan. 7.
“I think the new, bright, shining building is really going to impact people’s moral and spirits,” Harrold said.
