Construction work on the horizon for major University of Iowa projects

IOWA CITY -- Two University of Iowa programs completely displaced by the 2008 flood - art and music - experienced enrollment losses after the disaster, but officials say the programs are rebounding and excitement is building for new facilities.

Undergraduate enrollment in music was down about 25 percent following the flood, but it has climbed back to nearly pre-flood levels, says David Gier, School of Music director.

“At this point, I think we are far enough along in the process, so we are really kind of over that hump,” he says. “If there's any silver lining to this dark cloud, it's that it has been said over and over again that the arts are central to what the University of Iowa is, and they have made a commitment to that.”

Twenty-two UI buildings were damaged in the 2008 flood, and three were damaged enough to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency replacement funding: Hancher Auditorium, the School of Music and the Art Building. Site work has started or will start soon on the replacements, with completion of all three slated for 2016.

This year's Iowa River flooding is affecting the UI, including temporarily shutting down the arts campus, but university leaders are hopeful that no facilities will be damaged. Flood-protection efforts this year are expected to cost about $5 million, officials say, but they wanted to be safe rather than sorry after the 2008 experience.

In the wake of the 2008 flood, UI President Sally Mason spoke with other communities effected by past flooding. The message she heard was that recovery from such a large-scale disaster takes 10 years and that she should “be patient, be vigilant, be persistent.”

“When people remind me that it's only five years and we're just now getting some of the large projects under construction, I look at how far we've come,” Mason says. “It's tremendous.”

UI flood damage, mitigation and recovery from 2008 is expected to total nearly $1 billion, and about $240 million of that has been spent in the five years since the flood. That means much of the expensive work remains.

The three replacement projects total an estimated $402 million, of which FEMA will cover $266 million. About another $30 million will be spent on demolition of the damaged facilities. A lot of noticeable site work will start this summer.

The new School of Music is planned for the southwest corner of Clinton and Burlington streets in downtown Iowa City. The new Studio Arts building will go up on River Street, northwest of Art Building West. The new Hancher Auditorium will be built up the hill north of old Hancher, which will be demolished in coming months. This year's flooding is not expected to delay any of that work.

“While campus will be one large construction site for the next few years, when the projects are completed we will have a campus with world-class infrastructure for our world-class arts programs,” UI Provost Barry Butler says via email. “I have been very impressed with how positive the faculty and staff have been over the past five years. It has clearly been a difficult five years, but they have maintained a positive attitude and a focus on the future.”

The adjustments and stresses in the months following the flood were hard, officials with art and music say. Both programs had to find new locations for classes, faculty offices, rehearsal space and workshops. Some programs were temporarily displaced again this summer because of flood-protection efforts.

Music was in nearly 20 locations in the fall semester after the 2008 flood, with practice and performance spaces in local churches, West High School and downtown rental units. The school has since consolidated down to fewer than 10 locations around campus and downtown. The biggest drawbacks that remain are not having a concert hall and not having everyone under one roof, Gier says.

The School of Art and Art History moved programs to a former Menards store a few miles from campus in time for the fall 2008 semester. That facility, renamed Studio Arts, has been a good temporary home but has drawbacks, school director John Beldon Scott says. The building has been tweaked to meet the needs of programs like painting, ceramics and metal arts, but some issues remain, like lighting problems and ambient noise from the lack of ceilings in the warehouselike building.

“You can only compensate to a certain point (with a temporary building), and we're there,” he says.

The facility does have upsides, including having the studio programs in one location with a fairly open layout, which creates a sense of energy and community. Studio Arts programs also have mostly new equipment, since the old equipment was lost to the flood.

“At first I was deterred, because I didn't want to work in a warehouse. But in terms of functionality as an art building, it's been really great, because everything is on the same floor and there's access between the different areas,” says Jim Busby, 36, a graduate student in ceramics.

The reopening in January 2012 of flood-damaged Art Building West on campus also was a boost to the school, Scott says, with about 40 percent of the programs moving back into that building, giving the program a campus home again. That facility was evacuated for this year's flooding threat and an outside flood wall constructed, but it has not taken on water.

“When you have a catastrophe like a flood, it's in the news for a while ... but if you weren't directly affected by it, it kind of goes out of your thinking,” Scott says. “But the effects of floods go on for years, and that is what we have experienced.”

Details on some of the remaining UI flood projects:

HANCHER: Site work for the new Hancher has begun, though the performance facility won't be completed until Spring 2016. The new 1,800 seat auditorium will be built seven feet above the 500-year floodplain near the Leavitt Center on Park Road and adjacent to the old site. The planned $176 million facility, which has about 700 fewer seats, includes a three-level lobby looking at the Iowa River and campus. The Hancher-Voxman-Clapp complex, which blended the School of Music and other performance space, was built in 1972. Demolition of the old Hancher-Voxman-Clapp site is expected later this year, following a large asbestos abatement project, and will be turned into green space.

IOWA MEMORIAL UNION: The lower-level remains closed while university officials proceed with the process for a complete lower-level renovation. In addition to repairs that will bring the IMU back to pre-flood conditions, the FEMA-approved plan will create external permanent flood protection. A new brick-faced flood wall will be constructed and encircle the site at 2 feet above the 500 year flood level, and the wall will be topped by a pedestrian-accessible platform. The project is expected to be completed in June 2015, with estimated cost of recovery and mitigation at $39.5 million. As of early June, UI officials believed work on this project would not be delayed by this year's Iowa River flooding, which was not expected to damage any campus buildings.

IOWA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY: The research-rich building, designed by Frank Gehry and built in 1992, received almost 2 feet of water on its main level in 2008. It's now being used, but permanent repair to its exterior wall system and a secure protection against future major flooding still remains. FEMA has approved a repair and mitigation plan that will see much of the building's exterior metal skin system replaced. Additionally, the building will be protected by a new “invisible wall” system, similar to one constructed at the fully-recovered Art Building West. Completion is expected in March 2015. Recovery and mitigation is expected to cost $30 million. As of early June, UI officials believed work on this project would not be delayed by this year's Iowa River flooding, which was not expected to damage any campus buildings.

MUSEUM OF ART REPLACEMENT: Repeated UI appeals for funding to replace the Museum of Art building at a new location were denied by FEMA. UI officials this month will review with the state Board of Regents initial plans to establish a new art museum to house the collection, insured at $500 million, at a location that is accessible to students, faculty and visiting Iowans. The university will proceed with this new building plan without FEMA participation. No budget estimate was available in early June.

MUSEUM OF ART RECOVERY (existing building): The damaged Museum of Art was partially restored so the north wing could be used as temporary space for the School of Music. The remainder of the building will have flood damage corrected and installation of HVAC systems, and no flood mitigation capital improvements will be undertaken. Future use of the this space will be to meet academic needs, and recovery plans will be reviewed with the regents this month. Recovery and mitigation is estimated at $5.4 million. As of early June, UI officials believed work on this project would not be delayed by this year's Iowa River flooding, which was not expected to damage any campus buildings.

THEATRE BUILDING: A majority of the Theater Building is in operation despite significant flood damage. The lower level remains closed, with displaced programs using space in a nearby former fraternity. Plans for permanent recovery, approved by FEMA, include the relocation of mechanical and electrical systems to a new rooftop enclosure. The lower level will be permanently repaired and “hardened” so it is flood tolerant. This project is scheduled for completion in August 2015, with repair and mitigation estimated at $16.3 million. As of early June, UI officials hoped work on this project would not be delayed by this year's Iowa River flooding, which was not expected to damage any campus buildings.