Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Concrete Slab Falls from UW-Madison Campus Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/07/21

A large concrete slab, part of the façade of Van Hise Hall on the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis., fell three stories and crashed near the building’s entrance on Sunday. No injuries were reported. Campus officials are working to discover the cause of the collapse.

“We’re grateful no one was hurt and are working diligently to understand what caused this to occur and what action may be needed to keep everyone safe,” said Lori Getter, public safety communications specialist. “We will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Getter elaborated that there was no construction work in progress that would have triggered the collapse. Van Hise is home to multiple academic departments and offices in the University of Wisconsin System.

Van Hise Hall was built in 1965. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers recommended earlier this year that part of his $1 billion Capital Budget be used to demolish and consolidate campus buildings—including Van Hise. The project is tentatively slated to begin in Sept. 2025.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that many state university buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s are starting to age and have demonstrated “similar exterior issues.” A 2005 master plan for UW-Madison recommended the building’s demolition sometime in the next 20 years, but the 2015 master plan pushed that demolition to at least 2035.

“Van Hise Hall has exterior envelopes not unlike other buildings throughout UW System that are aging and in disrepair,” the UW System said in a Tweet on Monday. “It’s why over 83% of our capital budget is for renovation and replacement. Van Hise Hall is not even on our short list, but Albertson Hall and Cofrin Library face similar exterior issues and improving them is critical.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Concordia College Completes Memorial Auditorium Renovations

    Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., recently completed a $2.5-million renovation project to Memorial Auditorium, a news release reports. The college partnered with Kraus-Anderson for the project’s construction and ICON Architectural Group for its design.