Construction has just begun in Pammel Court on two new buildings, an administrative building and a library storage building.

Completion of the library storage building is planned for May 1997, and completion of the administrative building is planned for August 1997. “The two new facilities together will cost approximately $6.4 million,” said Lynn Seiler, associate director of facilities planning and management.

“The buildings will have the same general appearance,” Seiler said. They will both be built with concrete panels. The only distinguishing feature is that the administrative building will have more windows on the east side wall.

The Administrative Service Facility Office Building is planned to be built north of Pammel Grocery and will be two stories high and cover 49,000 square feet.

The administrative building will house administrative offices in administrative data processing, purchasing, accounts receivable, extension communications and business offices from Beardshear including accounting, contracts and grants, payroll and state auditors.

The one-story 15,000 square-foot library storage building will be built southwest of Pammel Grocery and will hold books from Parks Library that are less frequently used. The storage building is also planned to be a place where books can be processed.

Brian Fhiffler, from Des Moines, is the architect designing the buildings. Seiler said Fhiffler’s design is based on space problems in central campus. The services to be housed in the new buildings are making correspondence between the services more convenient.

Moving these services off-campus also opens up space in the central campus buildings, Seiler said.

Wayne Ostendorf, director of the Administrative Data Processing Center and professor of computer science, said it will be nice to clear some of the space that ADP currently occupies in Pearson for services related to students.

“I also teach in computer science, so the whole idea of student space is very important,” Ostendorf said.

He said he looks at the move as a very positive thing for ADP because it will be helpful in consolidating offices.

“We can work with some clients in accounting and purchasing offices more closely now that we’ll be in the same building,” Ostendorf said.

Spaces that will open up on campus include areas in Pearson, Beardshear and Atanasoff halls and the General Services Building. Morril Hall will be completely emptied.

“There are no ideas as to what the free space will be specially used for, ” Seiler said. However, Seiler did say that Morril Hall will not be reoccupied until it can be remodeled. Funds for this will be coming through a capital campaign called “Campaign Destiny.”

Names for the buildings are still under consideration by the state Board of Regents. As of now the buildings are simply called the Administrative Service Facility Office Building and the library storage building.