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Classes resume in Shideler

By Bonnie Meibers, Senior Staff Writer

Driving up Route 73, Shideler Hall's red brick and white pillar facade rises to welcome visitors to Miami University. The building has become a landmark - especially after its recent facelift.

"Once you step into the building you get a sense that this is one of the freshest designs on campus," said Connie McCarthy, project manager for the renovations to Shideler Hall.

Shideler was closed in fall 2014 for renovations to the building. While construction is not completely finished, Shideler is open and classes are being held inside.

"It's a definite improvement," said Effie Harker, a graduate student studying geology.

The $25 million project was originally scheduled to be completed at the beginning of this semester, but the building is now scheduled to be completely finished later this month.

The east and south landscaping and entry porches are expected to be completed by the middle of February, said McCarthy. With this stretch of warm weather, the construction and landscaping has been able to move along as planned.

[media-credit name="Tyler Pistor | The Miami Student" align="alignleft" width="900"]Shideler4[/media-credit]

The work on the west side of the building is being coordinated with the start of the east wing of the Armstrong Student Center. The landscaping and missing trim on the west entrance are also expected to be completed by mid-February.

McCarthy said the museum will be finished around this time, but the Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Sciences does not plan to open the museum this semester.

"The building is great, but the floor plan takes some getting used to," said George Daly, a geology Ph.D. student.

Thirty-thousand square feet were added to the building, which expanded and improved classroom space inside.

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"We keep making a punch-list of more and more things that we would like to see," McCarthy said.

Shideler is now home to the departments of Geography, Geology and Environmental Earth Science and the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability; which brings all of Miami's sustainability organizations into one space.

"The renovations are pretty phenomenal," said David Prytherch, a geography professor. "It is what I would call an extreme makeover."

In the new Shideler, there are more interactive and collaborative spaces. New "professional service project" rooms have been built to allow students and faculty to work on research and internships for clients such as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Oxford and other non-profit organizations, according to the renovation website. This allows for more student-faculty interaction, said Prytherch.

"It will be interesting to see how people use it," Prytherch said.

The once old, decrepit building now meets current state of the art guidelines. The new and improved Shideler Hall will boast a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification - a national certification based on how environmentally friendly and energy efficient a building is.

Miami is new to LEED certification, but the Silver LEED certification is a standard for all new buildings on campus. High-energy labs, according to McCarthy, prevent the building from attaining a Gold standard.