New Schatz Home Takes Shape

$2.9 million home to demonstrate cutting-edge sustainability

Humboldt Sentinel
12/8/08
By Sentinel Staff

ARCATA -- Construction is slated to start early next year of a $2.9 million home for Humboldt State University’s Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC), for three decades a pioneer in researching clean air technologies like hydrogen power.

Groundwork will begin in January and full-scale construction will kick off in March for the facility, which will house an exterior laboratory, two indoor labs, a machine shop, a conference and demonstration room and offices for staff and graduate students in over 6,000 sq. ft.

SERC directors expect the structure to be fully occupied on day one—scheduled opening is June 2010—despite the fact it will be double the square area of SERC’s existing quarters in the University Annex.

Following to Humboldt State and SERC’s sustainability principles, the new building will meet green building standards recommended by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The Behavioral and Social Sciences Building that opened in 2007 was also designed to meet LEED standards.

The new research center will be situated atop Cluster Court, between B Street and the west side of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building. Beacom Construction of Fortuna is designing and building the structure.

Financing comes from the estate of the late Dr. Louis W. Schatz, a long-time benefactor of HSU who provided funding in 1989 to establish SERC. At the time, Schatz was president of General Plastics Manufacturing in Tacoma, Washington.

SERC is affiliated with the University’s Environmental Resources Engineering program, which provides undergraduate and graduate students with rare opportunities to gain direct experience with cutting-edge, sustainable energy sources.