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[ ♪ music playing throughout ♪♪]
Eastern Illinois University is rich in history and has a
strong will to preserve its structures to the finest detail.
Old Main is the icon of Eastern Illinois University,
but over its long history additions in the interior halls
have become a conglomeration of many different styles of
architecture that degrade the historic beauty.
One particular integrative learning project that
brought in several departments was to begin
returning Old Main to the magnificence it once had.
However, a project of this magnitude could not be completed
without the support of alumni who have the same vision in
preserving Eastern's history.
Well Max and Mary Cougill are alumni of
Eastern Illinois University.
They graduated in the 1950s.
They have great love for Eastern
and a real fondness for Old Main.
They made a gift to the university to help us refurbish
that first floor in Old Main, and as we got into the project,
what we realized was that there in the first floor we have some
aluminum and glass entry ways part way down the hall--
that's there for heating and cooling efficiency
and also fire safety.
Well what we realized as we refurbished Old Main on the
first floor was that aluminum just seemed out of place.
It didn't look good aesthetically, so as part of the
project what we decided to do was change the design of that
and also do it in the wood that would
match the wood in Old Main.
Last year the school of technology was approached by a
facility planning and management at EIU
to produce certain moldings for the
Eastern Illinois University's Old Main building.
These trimmings and moldings are very historic
and you cannot purchase these on open market at this time.
Therefore, a joint project was developed between facility
planning and management and the school of technology to produce
these moldings.
Now the wood in Old Main, of course, is over 100 years old,
so matching that takes a lot of work.
You have to work really *** staining the wood,
you have to get it milled just right.
Takes real craftsmanship to put things together
so it looks seamless.
So a lot of the wood that was used in this building was
hand-carved, and one of the things that
we're working with Klehm Hall is a thing called egg and dart.
It's a molding that goes up toward the
top of the door casings.
I looked it up on the Internet, found several variations of it,
but none that exactly match what we were trying to duplicate.
>> Mr. Craig: Unable to purchase the
unique egg and dart wood molding
anywhere on the market, the School of Technology
worked with Facilities Planning and Management
to use a special system to reproduce the moldings.
The project that we're working on with the facilities folks and
their project at Old Main is basically taking old components
or moldings that were placed in Old Main 100 or so years ago
and replicating them through the use of computer design,
through the use of 3D printing and computer numerical
control systems.
>> Dr. Izadi: The process was to scan these
current products and make a three-dimensional model,
and after that checking for accuracy and identifying
that this is a historically accurate reproduction.
A shopbot in the School of Technology
was utilized to produce this mold for the
Facility Planning and Management.
So what we've done is we've taken the mold, the existing
molding, we've reproduced it on CAD, we've produced it, a
prototype with our 3D printing and then we've created the tool
pathing and we have now cut it out and using our shopbot.
>> Dr. Perry: So, that way they were able
to help us finish the project.
Now what's really a great thing about it is that students
were involved in this project and it's a great example
of integrative learning where they were taking what they had
learned in technology and helping with a renovation in
a building to replicate something that was
over 100 years old, and I think that's a great opportunity
for our students to learn how to apply what they're doing to,
if you will, historical restoration.
It allows our students to not only get that experience,
but also to get that on their resume if they worked
on that particular project.
>>Mr. Craig: For the student,
the project provided another open door
that the student never considered.
>> Mr. Sean Roberts: Because I was able to see
the importance and I was able to relate to
what was going on, I found interest in architecture.
I've always thought Old Main was a really neat building--
the architecture and the trim work, the molding,
it's something that was really interesting to be a part of
recreating that, knowing that that stuff is going to be there
for however long the school continues on.
It was really exciting to be a part of that.
>> Dr. Perry: And as that project has
come along, what we realize now is when we walk
in the east end of Old Main and we look down the hallway,
now we've got a long view down the hallway that's
much more aesthetically pleasing but we've kept the safety
and the efficiencies of the whole concept
of the entry way there, off of the south side.
>> Mr. Craig: With the restoration completed,
the first floor hall of Old Main has returned to its original
character, while at the same time providing a true
integrative learning opportunity not just for the students
but for faculty and staff as well.
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