The Warren Hall building at CSU East Bay could be demolished as early as Summer of 2013, according to Christopher Brown, deputy vice president of Enterprise Operations and Facilities Management at CSUEB.
The former administration hub has served as the major focal point for CSUEB for over 40 years, but was condemned for failing to meet California’s stringent earthquake codes.
The 13-story building has been unoccupied since June 2011, though it contained the campus’s computer data center and phone switch until relocation last month. Now all that remains is cell phone network equipment and furniture.
Former plans called for the top nine floors to be removed and the building retrofitted to meet seismic standards at a cost of $53.6 million. Brown said those plans were dropped because complete demolition “would be more cost effective.”
The new plan, awarded to SUNDT Construction in early April, will cost $36 million for demolition of Warren Hall and the cost of a replacement building on another part of the campus.
All 150,000 square feet of the CSUEB landmark will be demolished by implosion, at an estimated cost of $8.6 million, according to Brown.
Brown mentioned that the demolition could happen as soon as Summer 2013, but also that it might have to be pushed back to Christmas break 2013. Either way, school will not be in session when the building is imploded.
Before this can happen, however, significant preparations are needed.
The two-story bridge connecting Warren Hall with the main Library building will be removed and the hole will be patched up.
All furniture will be taken away and various other parts will be scavenged for other buildings on campus.
The peregrine falcons currently living in the tower might have to be relocated if they don’t leave first, Brown stated.
The most costly and time consuming task during the preparation stage, according to Brown, will the abatement process, during which all 176,000 square feet of hazardous materials – including asbestos, chlorofluorocarbons, lead, mercury, tritium gas and Polychlorinated biphenyls – will be removed.
Brown said he expected the implosion to be a significant event that could draw many spectators.
“This will be an interesting and complex project,” said Brown. “One that I think will be good for the campus.”
Finally, after the implosion and debris removal process, the ground will be flattened and grass planted, a process called “finishing.” Brown said the lot will remain empty for the foreseeable future.
According to the 2009 CSUEB master plan – which lays out possible campus changes for many years into the future – Warren Hall could eventually be replaced by a brand new student housing complex and dinning commons.
“I don’t think there’s any other college campus in the country that has student dorm rooms with such an amazing view as we could have here,” said Brown.
