Deconstruction: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

In May, present and former faculty and administrators gathered to hold a ceremony to honor and bid farewell to the the former State Hospital's "Building L" — known on the WCC campus as "Lono" and, more recently, "Hale Mānaleo."

Over the past several weeks, the contractors have carefully dismantled the building, salvaging most of the materials to be reused or recycled.

The metal from the building, including the air conditioning ducts, will be recycled.
Useful items such as fixtures and doors can be put into service elsewhere on campus.

The wood planks from the roof will be milled and used for accents throughout the Library Learning Commons.

Demolition will likely begin this week to break down the concrete walls, floors and foundations, all of which will be ground down and reused in the construction of the new building.

Contractors have found several interesting artifacts, such as empty bottles hidden under the crawlspaces, likely left from hospital patients hiding forbidden alcohol. And under the carpet and tiles of The Learning Center — where students once took tests and consulted with tutors — a shuffleboard was found painted on the floor.

We look forward to the many surprises yet to come, and we hope you do, too!

Deconstruction: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle