ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A familiar building for some students at the University of New Mexico will soon become a thing of the past as a wrecking ball is about to reduce it to rubble. School officials say this could be happening more often as they evaluate which of the older buildings no longer fit their needs.
UNM Architect and Director of Planning, Design & Construction Amy Coburn said the College of Education Classroom Building was built in 1963 and has cone to the end of it’s lifespan. Officials say most of the demolition will happen over winter break. “The demolition project includes abatement which is when we have specialized teams come in to take out materials that could be hazardous if they came into contact when we take apart buildings,” said Coburn. “That’ll be a nosier and possibly a more disruptive part of the demolition process where we take the overall frame of the building.”
The university has been working on an Asset Management Program, where they’ve been evaluating all of the buildings to make sure they’re up to code. In the case of the College of Education Building, the university said it would’ve cost $7million for a new building altogether. Instead, they determined that they have enough classroom space on campus to take the place of the old facility.
In the meantime, the university is keeping their options open and leaving the site vacant, but landscaped into a Functional Green Space area. Funding for the $2 million demolition came from the state’s Higher Education Department. The project is set to be complete by spring of next year.
