Emma Vawter
Built in 1964, Mann Hall is built primarily out of glass and brick. It was named after Carroll Lamb Mann who was head of the Department of Civil Engineering from 1916 until he retired in 1948.
Mann Hall is currently undergoing a repair assessment to determine the structural condition of the building. Scaffolding has been present for more than three months and the building will undergo construction in summer 2020.
Mann Hall was constructed in 1964 and is located on Stinson Drive between Broughton and Riddick Hall. It currently houses the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering. The four-story building is 78,266 gross square feet and contains a basement laboratory and three floors that include classrooms, computer labs and administrative offices.
Structurally speaking, the building consists of a concrete frame with infill panels of brick and glass. It has cast-in-place concrete columns along with a cast-in-place concrete beam-joist system, according to Melanie Butler, civil engineer at Capital Project Management and project manager of the repairs.
According to Butler, the building is being tested to see if any repairs must be done.
“We are not under construction per se as far as repairing the building. We are currently in the design phase,” Butler said.
Butler said the structural testing involved taking concrete cores to labs to analyze them to help determine the level of sturdiness of the building. It also included visual testing, where workers analyzed the exterior of the building to verify any potential water intrusions.
Butler also said workers are in the process of reviewing the testing results to figure out what needs to be performed before proceeding to the construction phase.
Butler said it is unclear at the moment when the repair assessment will be completed.
According to University Architect Lisa Johnson, the concrete building is breaking apart in certain parts, and the scaffolding surrounding Mann Hall was installed to protect students and faculty until the repairs can be finished.
“Mann Hall will be vacated in summer 2020 when Fitts-Woolard Hall opens on Centennial Campus,” Johnson said. “We hope to do the structural repairs after the building is vacated.”
To improve the structural condition of the building, Johnson said construction workers will mend the deteriorating concrete framework of Mann Hall. To address some of the water intrusion concerns, which are partly attributed to the building being used for more than 50 years, the construction workers will replace the roof and the windows in the hall.
According to Johnson, the building will be occupied by the civil engineering department until next summer, and construction efforts will begin once the building is vacated.
Johnson said eventually, Mann Hall will serve as a “sling space” where it will house one of the university’s departments, depending on each departments’ needs, after the civil, construction and environmental engineering department moves to Fitts-Woolard Hall. Johnson said the university has not finalized which department Mann Hall will house after construction has finished.