Officials ponder future of IAST proposal

If the U.S. Air Force decides Smith Hall is an unacceptable site for the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the IAST may not be built at all, University officials said last week. Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman said last week plans are drawn and construction is ready to begin on the project, which is being held up by the Air Force study on the historical significance of the site. But if the Air Force rules that the demolition of Smith Hall will have an adverse historical impact, the University will have to go back to square one and reconsider its options. Cooperman said Smith Hall's proximity to the Chemistry building makes it an ideal location for the IAST. The University was awarded a federal grant in 1991 to help with the costs of building the IAST, Vice President for Facilities Arthur Gravina said. Gravina added that while the entire project will cost between $70 and $75 million, the Department of Defense has agreed to pay half the cost, or $35 million. The University will foot the rest of the bill. "It is not often that you get half of the money for a project," he said. The University has already studied possible alternative sites for the IAST, Gravina said. And in each case, the University would have to spend more money than the current plans demand. Cooperman said he has told the Air Force that if it does not approve the current plans, the University may not have the financial resources or the desire to build the IAST on another site. "With the purposes this building is for, any other site would be less efficient and would be more costly," he said. The design for the building and subsequent renovations that would be completed to the Music and Morgan Buildings, adjacent to Smith Walk, are already complete. Venturi Scott Brown & Associates, a Philadelphia-based architectural firm, is responsible for the design. This firm was also in charge of the Furness Building renovations which took place between 1987 and 1991. Director of Facilities Planning Titus Hewryk said the architects took into careful consideration the styles of the surrounding buildings and, for this reason, will use rose-colored bricks on the exterior of the IAST Building. "The architects are really trying to create a masterpiece as far as the exterior," he said. Gravina added that the IAST would be a "building that we would be proud of over the next hundred years."