When the new Haupert Union Building opens in October, the Facilities Department anticipates that there will still be some remaining tasks to complete. However, they don’t yet know what those remaining items will be.
The current plan is for staff and services to move into the new building over Fall Break, with an opening date of Oct. 7. The building will be open for campus use beginning Wednesday, Oct. 8.
According to President Bryon Grigsby, there was a concern that the project could be delayed six months due to an issue with the lighting fixtures in the conference room. However, Facilities worked with Warfel Construction to engineer a device that eliminated the concern, keeping the HUB opening on track for Fall Break.
“Once the staff have been moved into the building and are successfully performing their operations, then I’ll know that we’ve crossed the finish line,” said Amber Donato, Associate Director of Project Management.
This means the HUB will house The Laurie Riley ’82 Center for Career Success, Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Life, the Center for Inclusive Excellence, and other student support centers.
“It is our intention to have them move in over Fall Break and complete some finishing touches as needed,” Donato said.
Currently, the Wellness Center on the first floor is slightly behind schedule compared to the rest of the building.
“All construction projects experience a variety of issues as construction moves along. This is totally normal and to be expected,” Donato explained. “There have been minimal changes requested by Moravian, which is a testament to the planning process we went through early in the project.”
She reports that nothing in the project’s plans has changed due to budget implications.
The Star will only receive final touch-ups in the coming weeks, but the sushi station still needs to be reinstalled in the Blue & Gray Cafe (B&G), likely around mid-September.
Once construction is complete and Warfel has reduced the size of their field team, Facilities expects that vehicular traffic around the building will return to normal; it will also move the shuttle stop back to Monocacy Street.
The HUB will be WELL-certified, defined as a roadmap for organizations looking to advance human health and well-being in a location. WELL certification requires meeting preconditions and earning additional optimizations across ten core concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community.
Examples of requirements include optimizing air quality through filtration and ventilation, encouraging movement with accessible stairs, and fostering mental well-being with relaxation.
Once the building is occupied, performance tests will be scheduled with WELL inspectors to finalize the process.
“While this project will be transformational to our campus, I do understand the disruption it has created for students, faculty, and staff,” Donato said. “I am grateful for the resilience and understanding of our entire community during the construction period.”
