AMES, Iowa- Dedication ceremonies for Hach (pronounced "hock") Hall, Iowa State University's new chemistry facility, will be held Friday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. The building is located on the north side of campus.
The gleaming, three-story structure will enhance recruitment and retention of the very best faculty and students, while providing essential lab space and technology to perform cutting-edge research and improve the undergraduate chemistry learning experience, said Keith Woo, professor and associate chair of chemistry.
Plus, Woo said, the new building will advance the university's effort to demonstrate efficiency and sustainability.
Because the building was built with environmentally friendly practices and equipped with low-flow ventilation hoods, heat exchange systems, materials from local sources and many other features that boost efficiencies, the university will pursue LEED certification for Hach Hall from the Green Building Certification Institute.
"Hach Hall will support the continued excellence of chemistry at Iowa State University," ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said. "Its state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and instrumentation will enhance Iowa State's competitive position as a leading research university and educational institution."
Funding for the $78 million, 135,000-square-foot facility was provided by an appropriation from the state of Iowa and an additional $15.6 million in private support.
The building is named after Iowa State alumna Kathryn Hach Darrow (2007 liberal studies) from Mukilteo, Wash.; her late husband, Iowa State alumnus Clifford Hach ('47 chemical technology), and the extended Hach family. The couple founded Hach Chemical Company in 1947 in Ames.
The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, Iowa, has also provided a lead gift for Hach Hall, as have many other Iowa State University alumni and friends.
These gifts are part of Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, the university's $800 million fundraising effort.
These panels in the lobby of Hach Hall feature the work of Seattle artist Norie Sato. Sato's large-scale environmental sculpture, titled "elemental," is made from glass, aluminum and LED lights. The pattern, structure and materials are inspired from elements and molecular models. The sculpture was funded through the Iowa Art in State Buildings Project, which designates one-half of one percent of the cost of construction projects to works of public art. The piece joins University Museums' art on campus collection, one of the largest public art programs in the nation.
One of two large conference rooms in Hach Hall.