Rendezvous close to ready

More News Ecomics prof honored Rendezvous parking concerns Preserving rights of way Mormons wrap up conference Sports

POCATELLO — In theory, an Idaho State University freshman could walk into the Rendezvous Center when it opens this fall and walk out four years later with a bachelor’s degree, never stepping foot outside.

Construction crews spent Friday putting the finishing touches on the ultra-modern 255,000-square-foot building, slated for completion in June. At a cost of $43,510,000, it includes 81 apartments, 50 classrooms, a dining area, a spirit shop with Bengal clothing, a cyber cafe, a convenience store and even a planetarium.

“The reason we picked the name Rendezvous is because it’s at the center of campus,” said Darrel Buffaloe, ISU physical plant director. “We hope it will pull the upper and lower campuses together.”

Buffaloe said as things sit right now, the two areas of campus don’t mix much. Upper campus is home to the College of Technology and lower campus is primarily academic.

At the heart of the Rendezvous Center, beginning on the ground level, is a 50-foot-high atrium designed to look like a city street. It has catered dining and study areas, a convenience store and a cyber cafe with a stage for performers. On the second floor overlooking the urbanesque scene are several alcoves for studying.

The atrium and some adjacent conference rooms are satellites of the Pond Student Union and will be the only part of the building funded by student fees.

The 81 student apartments are divided between four Rendezvous Center towers and designed to house up to 300 residents. They each include three separate bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a closet for washing machines and dryers.

Buffaloe said the residential portion of the Rendezvous Center will operate like a business, fully self-supported by student rent.

The majority of classrooms in the building are elongated so students in the few rows of tiered seating will be closer to the front than they would be in a traditional classroom.

However, the most notable learning space is a 250-seat lecture hall with a white dome ceiling that, once the $2.1 million projection and sound systems are installed, will be the area’s only planetarium. Officials are currently seeking donations to purchase the equipment.

Money for classroom construction came from the state’s permanent building fund. The Idaho Legislature recently allotted $200,000 for annual classroom maintenance.

Buffaloe estimates the academic portion of the Rendezvous Center will save the state about $20 million during the next two decades by eliminating the need for building additions elsewhere on campus. He said ISU will shift students to the new classrooms so the old ones can be converted into badly needed office and laboratory space.

“The last major building addition on campus was to the Physical Science building a few years ago,” Buffaloe said. “That alone cost about $6 million.”

Square footage wise, the Rendezvous Center is the second largest building on campus. The largest, Holt Arena, contains 264,000 square feet of floor space. The Eli Oboler Library is third at 170,000.

By Casey Santee

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

Reader Comments

Submit a Comment

Commenting Rules

Report a Comment