 Rebuilding
Merrill Hall |
Project Update All construction is complete on the new Merrill Hall! We are now in a
two week "airing-out" phase to insure a healthy
indoor air quality. During that time we'll start packing and
planning the move into our new offices. Landscaping efforts
will also begin. The building will be dedicated on
During June, Merrill Hall contractors are busy installing cedar siding and stucco on the outside walls, the elevator, painting and sheetrocking the interior walls. The windows are in. Lab casework is being installed, and work has started on the storm water cistern and rainwater recycling system. Roofers are finishing the "Energy Star" roof system on the main building.
Fire!
On May 21, 2001, just after 3:00 am, Merrill Hall was fire bombed. Faculty, staff, volunteers, and over forty graduate students lost books, papers, research and workspace. Our work has resumed, but office spaces have been fragmented into temporary trailers. The four laboratories and much of our equipment no longer exist. The Miller Library lost books, records and computers, but has re-opened in a temporary location with part of its collection available to the public. For the past two years, staff and faculty have been planning the new building. Together with many CUH donors, the State Legislature and the University of Washington have committed over $7 million dollars to assist with our efforts.
The Seattle gardening community dreamed of creating a place where the public could attend meetings, classes and have their many plant questions answered. In 1984, the vision became reality with the opening of Merrill Hall. Built entirely with private donations, the new Center housed a library, office space for local horticultural organizations, research labs, herbarium, and a plant diagnostic clinic. Today CUH is a thriving community of volunteers, researchers, students, and community groups committed to exploring the science of using plants to restore human impacted environments. Public visitation at the Center and its grounds approaches 100,000 visits each year.
What is Sustainability, and What Role Does it Play in the New Merrill Hall? As
a residential-scale public building sited between a dense
neighborhood and environmentally-sensitive wetlands, CUH has
a unique opportunity to showcase sustainable building and
landscaping techniques appropriate for Seattle area homes
and small commercial buildings. With the help of private donors, the project team is seeking LEED™ certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. For more information on this rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council, link to www.usgbc.org. The goal is for Merrill Hall to be recognized as a model for using state-of-the-art technology, sustainable resources and designs. Our specific goal is to create a culture of sustainability where natural products, systems and processes are interpreted for increasing public understanding. Design features that contribute to LEED™ certification include:
Opportunities
for Giving
Please mail your tax-deductable gift to: Center
for Urban Horticulture - Recovery If you have questions about the rebuilding process, or other ways which you can help, please contact Tom Hinckley at 206-543-1588 Thank You.
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Through
research, demonstration gardens, a world-class horticulture
library, partnerships, courses and workshops, we provide information
for solving many of the Pacific Northwest’s gardening
and natural-resource challenges. From the Sound to the mountains,
in cities, parks, gardens and natural areas, we focus on the
problems and opportunities unique to urbanizing environments:
pollution, anomalies of climatic conditions, invasive species
and the use of plants to control climate or noise.
