The building was originally built in 1963 when Old Martin Hall was demolished due to old age and deterioration. Martin Hall (old and new) serve as the primary administrative building where the Registrar’s Office, Admissions, Enrollment Management, Scholarship Office and Graduate School are located. With the exception of renovations of individual suites in the building, Martin Hall “hasn’t been touched” since it was first built, according to Bill Crist, director of facility management at UL. In addition to the work yet to be completed this summer, UL has spent the past few months removing asbestos that still remained in the building, and made repairs to the roof earlier this year.

Much of the work on Martin Hall has to be completed over the weekends and must be staged around the occupancy of the building, according to Crist, as the building is otherwise fully functional throughout the course of the entire year — summer being no exception. “What we’ve had to do is complete the work one hallway at a time over the weekends,” said Crist. “We start work on a Friday afternoon and have it done by Sunday night so nobody is endangered or inconvenienced.”

While the university waited close to 60 years to make updates to Martin Hall, renovation is not a new concept on campus. Fifteen new buildings have been constructed on campus over the past four years, according to Crist, including the new LEED Silver–certified Student Union, which was completed in spring of 2015. The long delay on updates to Martin Hall are simply “a matter of budget and priorities,” according to Crist, with administrative buildings simply not being as high of a priority as student or academic-related spaces. “We generally prioritize our student areas first, but at the end of the day, these things still need taking care of.”

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Constructed in 2010, the building was designed to achieve 44 percent more energy and 30 percent more water than code requirements. High-efficiency condensing boilers are used for heating the building, while a comprehensive set of solar panels, both photovoltaic as well as solar thermal sit atop the building’s roof, according to the college.

“Environmental sustainability was integrated into all aspects of the design and construction of Beck Academic Hall and that was very intentional,” said Gustavus Adolphus College President Jack Ohle in a statement. “Gustavus strives to be a leader among colleges and universities when it comes to sustainability practices and taking care of the Earth, so achieving LEED Platinum certification for Beck Hall was a priority.”

Sustainable features of the building include stormwater management, bicycle storage, reduced light pollution, water-efficient landscaping, use of recycled content in building materials, use of low VOC-emitting construction materials, greater use of occupant-controllable lighting and thermal comfort systems, and designated parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. During construction, 75 percent of waste was recycled.

“Beck Hall’s LEED Platinum certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC, in a statement. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Beck Hall serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”

Beck Hall was designed by BWBR Architects and constructed by Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. Both firms are headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.

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