Shop Talk: Interdisciplinary Science at Duke U.; Failing Pipes at Truman State U.; and More

The French Family Science Center’s atrium (Photo by Jeff Tryon)

Interdisciplinary science: Today Duke University dedicates a $95-million interdisciplinary science building, the French Family Science Center. Designed by Moore Ruble Yudell and RMJM Hillier, the 275,000-square-foot building houses teaching and research facilities for the biology, chemistry, and physics departments. It has been awarded a LEED silver certification.

Unpleasant surprise: When construction crews at Truman State University ripped into the walls of three dormitories due for a $3-million renovation, they found that the 60-year-old water pipes were “starting to come apart” and would have to be replaced, adding significantly to the project’s cost. According to the Index, the university’s student newspaper, decades of thermal expansion and contraction had caused abrasions to the plumbing that couldn’t be detected until the pipes were actually in view. Mark Schultz, the university architect, said plumbing upgrades had been left out of the original renovation plans to save money.

New business card: The University of Colorado at Boulder has named a new campus architect, Paul Leef, according to a university news release. Mr. Leef, who will oversee a five-year, $650-million capital-improvement effort, comes to the Boulder campus from the Colorado School of Mines.

City College’s Shepard Hall (City College photo)

Birthday greetings: The City University of New York’s City College has created a Web site celebrating the 100th anniversary of its move from its original home, on 23rd Street, to its Hamilton Heights campus in Harlem. The architect George B. Post designed the new campus’s original buildings, including Shepard Hall.