West Virginia Universitys Brooks Hall will be undergoing an extreme makeover when interior demolition begins Monday, Nov. 14.

The renovation, part of the facilities master plan, will include all new mechanical electrical systems and the construction of teaching and research labs, classrooms and office space.

Constructed in 1951 on the Downtown Campus, Brooks Hall is a 91,500-square-foot building that formerly housed WVU s biology and psychology units before they moved to the new Life Sciences Building in Fall 2002.

Currently, the division of plant pathology occupies the two upper floors of the building and three general purpose classrooms are in use throughout the building.

At the completion of the project, the Department of Geology and Geographys offices, labs and research facilities will move from White Hall to Brooks and more general classroom space will be available.

Plant Pathology will continue to occupy the building until December, when the unit relocates to the new Agricultural Sciences South Building on the Evansdale Campus.

Interior demolition will start on the ground and first floors Monday and continue through February 2006, when interior construction will begin around March 7 on the upper floors of the building.

The project is expected to run through Summer 2007, with classes scheduled to resume in Fall 2007.

Other than noise and traffic inconveniences, the building will be in use through the end of the semester.

The entrance to Brooks Hall will be limited to the PRT side of the building (south side) throughout the demolition.

Parking in Lot 10 will be affected beginning next week and a portion of the quadrangle between the Life Sciences Building and the College of Business and Economics will be fenced in.

Programming requirements for the project were developed by Lynette Jones of WVU Facilities Planning, along with Trevor Harris, Randy Crowe, Chris Tarabella and several professors from the Department of Geology and Geography.