W.E. Upjohn Center for the study of Geographical Change

Geographic Center a Picture-Perfect Addition for Western Michigan University

Project Overview

Name: WMU's W.E. Upjohn Center for the Study of Geographical Change
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Project Type: Renovation
Square Footage: 7,150
CSM Project Director: Tim Ankney
CSM Project Manager: Shannon Rice
Owner’s Rep.:David Dickason, Chairman of Geography Department
Architect: Slocum Associates; Jonathon Rambow, President
Completion Date: December, 2005

In 1937, Mary Meader leaned over the side of an airplane piloted by her then-husband, Richard Light, and took what are believed to be the first aerial photographs of the African continent. Included among the hundreds of pictures taken are pyramids in Egypt, villages in Sudan, and mountain ranges across the continent. Similar photographic expeditions to South America followed soon after.

Now, nearly 70 years later, the 1,800 photographs Meader took of the two continents-along with a $4 million gift from her and her husband today, Edwin Meader-were used to help seed the new W.E. Upjohn Center for the Study of Geographical Change in Welborn Hall on the West Campus of Western Michigan University. CSM Group acted as the construction management firm for the operation.

According to Tim Ankney, Project Director for CSM Group, this 7,150-square-foot project, which began in March 2005, involved complete renovation and upgrades throughout the interior. This included select demolition, new drywall, floor coverings, paint, and new lighting, as well as some mechanical upgrades such as reworking of ductwork to provide better air circulation and ventilation and to minimize humidity.

Says Ankney, "We also installed a split air-conditioning system for the new data and telecom rooms-we call them 't-com closets.' The rooms are designed to support two delicate, highly advanced scanners-one is the highest-end scanner available on the market and was originally developed for satellite photography, then adapted to scanning."

How delicate is this scanning equipment? According to Chris Pyzik, Project Manager at Western Michigan University, "These scanners are so sensitive, we had to isolate the poured concrete floor slab and block walls from the building structure to minimize vibrations. Even minute movement during the scanning process would cause distortions and result in lower-quality reproductions."

John Rambow, President of Slocum Associates, the Kalamazoo architectural firm for the project, says this fast-track project went exceptionally well. "Remodeling/renovation jobs tend to be more of a challenge than new con-struction because you always seem to run into surprises. Sometimes removal of a wall or floor reveals something you didn't expect, or installing equipment in an existing room can be trickier than anticipated. But this project went off smoothly. I think that's because the three of us-CSM Group, Western Michigan University, and Slocum-had an excellent working relationship. Actually, it was more of a partnership. We all kept each other in the loop as to what was happening and when. As a result, there really were no surprises. All jobs should go this well."

The $700,000 W.E. Upjohn Center, named in honor of Mary Meader's grandfather, is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world. Ankney says one-half of the facility is devoted to exhibits with audio/visual displays and the other half is used for reproducing rare documents. "Researchers and archivists will operate the high-tech equipment to scan, digitize, and copy old aerial photographs and maps from the Library of Congress and from around the world to illustrate how a region, state, country, or continent looked in years past. The original documents will then be either safely stored and preserved on site or returned to the donor.

David Dickason, Chairman of WMU's Geography Department, notes the photos and maps are scientific documents with accurate measurements. And though their use has no expiration date, many of these old documents were deteriorating. He explains that the department's purpose isn't just to appreciate what used to be; it's important in helping people understand, manage, and plan areas as we move into the future.

Dickason says, "We want to preserve every detail of every one of those works. Once we do, the electronic maps and photographs become more useful than the originals. That's because digitized reproductions let us do all kinds of spatial visualization, as well as three-dimensional fly-overs and fly-throughs. We can show change through time."

Ankney points out that, because of the importance and rarity of the original documents, sophisticated surveillance cameras were installed throughout the facility to monitor all activities and maintain a high level of security. He adds, "We also installed a dry, gaseous-type fire protection system in the archive room. Since we're dealing with irreplaceable maps and photos, we can't risk having them become damaged by water from a wet sprinkler system in the event of a fire."

The center has plans to eventually include an e-store and offer-at cost-high-definition copies of maps, reference books, and aerial photographs.

Although finishing touches are still taking place, with a few owner add-on modifications, ribbon-cutting for the new center took place on October 10, 2005.