UH Mānoa breaks ground on Edmondson Hall renovation

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Feb 28, 2012

Groundbreaking ceremony
Groundbreaking ceremony
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa held a groundbreaking ceremony at 10:30 a.m. today for the renovation of Edmondson Hall, which will house key life science and education research on the UH Mānoa campus.
Among those in attendance were Councilmember Ann Kobayashi and a representative from U.S. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa’s office.
The building is named after Charles Howard Edmondson, a former Professor of Zoology who was also the first director of the amalgamated Waikīkī Aquarium and Marine Biology Research Laboratory.
 
Renovations will consist of $15 million in improvements to existing classrooms, teaching labs and research laboratories. Specific improvements include: installation of modern fixtures and furnishings, including sixty-four solar hot water panels on the roof; new windows, lighting, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as the installation of a new fire alarm and suppression system.
 
“The renovation of Edmondson Hall will create a much-needed, modern facility for further strengthening of research and learning opportunities for students pursuing an education in the biological sciences,” said Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.
 
The renovation will provide a degree of flexibility, accommodating for changes in pedagogy and class rotation, as well as afford shared spaces for collaborative science and interdisciplinary activity.
 
Target completion date is slated for July 2013. Upon completion, Edmondson Hall will become the new home of the Department of Biology and, with the adjacent Snyder Hall which houses the Department of Microbiology, will become the Center for Life Sciences Research and Teaching at UH Mānoa. 
 
Photo caption from L-R:  From L-R: Kahu Kordell Kekoa, UH Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Linda Johnsrud, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company Vice PresidentEric Hashizume, UH Mānoa Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Vassilis Syrmos, Councilmember Ann Kobayashi, UH Mānoa Dean of the College of Natural Sciences William Ditto, UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, Lauren Dods, representative from U.S. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa’s office, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company President Bill Wilson and UH Mānoa Zoology Department Chair Christopher Womersley