BEMIDJI -- The coronavirus pandemic has not slowed the progress of the new academic learning center at Bemidji State University -- Hagg-Sauer will soon be back and better than ever.
The 27,000-square-foot building boasts ten teaching spaces on two floors and an impressive view of Lake Bemidji. The building鈥檚 construction is still on-track, contractors said, and is set to fully open by the end of October.
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Building layout
The new building was designed to improve the student experience, avoid costly maintenance and reduce energy costs, BSU officials said.
Nine classrooms with sizes ranging from 40 to 132 seats will be divided into two purposes: active learning classrooms and traditional lecture classrooms.
Active learning classrooms will divide students into six pod tables with active learning screens, all facing a main screen for lecturers to project upon. The classrooms were installed with LED lighting, and most have large windows providing natural light.
The building centerpieces a large lecture hall meant to give homage to the former Hagg-Sauer Hall. This auditorium space holds 320 seats.
Lounge spaces overlooking Lake Bemidji seem to be the showstopper. Two floors encased with glass overlook the lake and will provide a spot for students to relax and study.
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The main entry doors will face Chet Anderson Stadium. On the other side, a footbridge will lead students over a retaining pond.
The new academic learning center will solely house classrooms, no faculty offices -- unlike the former building. Staff whose offices were relocated out of the old Hagg-Sauer building were moved closer to learning areas, allowing for better engagement with students.
鈥淟ast March we remodeled Bensen, the library, Sattgast, Bangsberg,鈥� said Travis Barnes, director of facilities. 鈥淪o we moved all of the faculty whose offices were in the old Hagg-Sauer building and we moved them into their new offices.鈥�
The new building will have a staff lounge where faculty can relax in between classes if they teach multiple classes in the new building, Barnes said.
The theory, Barnes said, is that faculty will just come to the new Hagg-Sauer building to teach if there isn鈥檛 sufficient classroom space in their department buildings, but that their office spaces will be near the rest of their department.
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Moving quickly
Construction is expected to be completed by September with the building being fully finished by the end of October.
Adam Nickelson, a field engineer for Terra Construction, said the project was not delayed due to the coronavirus.
鈥淪o far we鈥檝e been pretty much on track,鈥� Nickelson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually been going a lot better than expected, we obviously took the proper measures to stay within the guidelines to make sure our workers stay safe and healthy.鈥�
The whole process moved fairly quickly. The former 48-year-old Hagg-Sauer Hall was torn down last August, and construction began on the new one around October, Nickelson said.
Crews worked throughout the winter, and almost exactly a year later, it should be wrapping up.
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鈥淐onstruction is going to be done we鈥檙e anticipating September,鈥� Barnes said. 鈥淏ut the AV component -- the audiovisual stuff, projectors, speakers and that kind of stuff will be in October along with furniture and stuff. 鈥�
Barnes said he anticipates BSU would be ready for a soft opening by the end of October, depending on the current coronavirus situation.
Bemidji State University hasn鈥檛 welcomed a brand-new building in a while -- most of the major construction projects in recent years have just been remodeling existing structures. The most recent major building renovation was likely Memorial Hall, which was completed in 2016, Nickelson said.
The Hagg-Sauer building will be the first in BSU鈥檚 second century -- BSU celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.
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