It’s another one of those stories that question the state’s ability to maintain its buildings.
This is one of the entrances to Saunders Hall on the University of Hawaii campus in Manoa. The building was designed by noted island architect Vladimir Ossipoff back in the 1970s, but has had problems with spalling of its concrete exterior.
A contractor started work in 2011 to remove loose concrete and seal the exposed areas to prevent further structural damage.
The central courtyard on the bottom floor of the building was closed at the beginning of 2012 due to the danger of falling concrete as work proceeded on repairs to the balconies of upper floors.
At the beginning of 2013, four pieces of concrete broke off and fell to the ground between Saunders and the student services building next door, according to news reports. Luckily, no one was inured.
On the exterior of the building, loose concrete was removed to expose the steel rebar, which was then sealed against weather damage.
Then work apparently just stopped. The contractor packed up and left. After classes began this fall, people slowly realized that equipment and workers from the spall repair project were gone, leaving the building looking like it had been damaged in battle. When questions were raised earlier this month about the status of the repairs, no one seemed to know what is going on.
A follow-up memo in response to the questions reported “that the exterior repairs is an ongoing project, UH Facilities is seeking the right contractor to do the very careful work the building’s concrete finish requires.”
So some three years after the project began, it’s in limbo.
Quipped one staffer:
If they’re unable to locate an appropriate contractor, perhaps we could opt for plan “B”…
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Duct tape would be better.
Stories like this are why I refuse to give any money to the University and why my lack of faith in the State of Hawaii government would qualify me for the Tea Party if I were willing to overthrow my reason.
Who built the Bus. Ad. building at Manoa that had to be torn down? They’re probably available.
Poor concept, poor design, poor construction, poor management, poor maintenance… have I missed something, oh yes, poor repair. And no one is held unaccountable, ever.
Accountability in UH system, especially Manoa?
You gotta be joking me.
Money and glory belong to the design and construction of new buildings, not the operation, repair and maintenance of old ones. Does anyone think it will be different with the choo-choo train? Would Ellison or Omidyar donate a few million, not to construct a new building with his name on it but to repair a bunch of old buildings with his name on small plaques attached to the new water pipes inside the walls?
I do recall seeing something in the media in the last few days about a proposal for UH to stop all new construction in order to make money available to work on the repair backlog. Sounds like a great idea — that will get no traction.
” And no one is held unaccountable, ever.” That’s what mystifies me. No one is ever identified as being responsible. No one is ever fired, no one is called on the carpet to explain what went wrong and to get it fixed. It reminds me of the Family Circus cartoons where you have these little ghost figures running around labeled “Not Me”, “I Didn’t Do It” when the kids break something. I like Representative Isaac Choy’s (chairman of the house higher education committee) stance; funding for no new buildings will be approved until the UH fixes what they got. I hope that he retains that chair this coming session.
Perhaps the contractors got lost looking for Porteus?
I know we’re supposed to admire all things Ossipoff, but really Saunders is a terrifically ugly building. There was a Slate article last week about similar “brutalist” buildings on other campuses:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2013/10/18/campus_brutalism_were_the_buildings_designed_to_thwart_student_riots.html
My SO suggests painting the ground floor lobby ceiling either sky blue or a rainbowed progression of colors to brighten a bit of the drab one feels when walking in there. Always seemed like a good idea to me.
Thank you, Ian, for pointing to the main problem at UH, priorities and lack of leadership. I can’t comprehend a mindset that doesn’t respect and care for property and grounds. Yet it is so prevalent in Hawaii.