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Renovations aim to repair leaky Brittain By Monali Desai News Staff ATLANTA November 6, 1998
 Flash floods...crumbling walls...new adventure movie? Perhaps...if Brittain Dining Hall could be considered a movie theater....
One of Tech's oldest buildings will soon be undergoing a major renovation that is intended, among other things, to reconcile its medieval design with the plumbing systems of the '90s. Brittain is suffering from water intrusion and damaged plaster walls. Auxiliary Services has a plan in motion to correct the water intrusion problems and is looking for funding to support interior renovations.
The major problem Auxiliary Services is trying to solve is uncontrolled water intrusions, which have created severe damage in the walls and have resulted in falling pieces of plaster. Heavy periods of rain have flooded some parts of Brittain, causing those areas to be closed off to the general public.
Auxiliary Services is planning on spending $430,000 on water intrusion-related renovations. The renovations being made are based on an engineering firm's recent structural evaluations of Brittain.
"All of the recommended renovations are not being made-only the ones that are considered to be top priority," explained Rich Steele, Director of the Student Center. Auxiliary services is also planning a $60,000 project to improve the interior design at Brittain. However, interior renovations will not start until all of the waterproofing renovations are finished.
Renovations to waterproof Brittain should start by 1999. Construction is not expected to impact Brittain's day-to-day operations; renovations are also not expected to result in increased food costs.
Another plan underway includes a major renovation of Brittain's interior design at an estimated cost of $1.6 million. However, the interior renovations will only be done if Auxiliary Services can find funding for them. Auxiliary Services, who has financed many previous Brittain renovations including a servery renovation in 1995 that cost $1.2 million, a rework of the slate roof in 1995 that cost $350,000, and more roof repair projects in 1997 and 1998 costing $70,000, cannot afford the extra changes.
Auxiliary Services feels that interior renovations are needed to solve insufficient seating problems, to make the bridge space on the second floor usable and to help improve the general lack of appeal of Brittain. Importance is placed on increasing the overall appeal of Britain, because as Rosalind Meyers, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services, said, "Next to the Tech Tower, Brittain is the most recognized historical building on campus."
Increased seating capacity is key because of increased involvement in meal plans. In the past few years the number of people on meal plans has doubled from 1,800 to 3,600. Tentative plans for Brittain would maximize the seating from the current 225 seats to 380 seats. These plans include tripling the bridge space on the Mezzanine level of Brittain, by adding a special seating section as well as a grand staircase. The extra seating area could possibly be used as a place for student organizations to program events.
Other renovations of Britain could include increased lighting, new tile flooring, new furniture, column features on the walls and a presidential dining room. Outside funding is already available for the dining room, which may be used as a special meeting area.
The initial design and construction of Brittain was a campus-wide effort. The Architecture department designed and supervised the construction of the Gothic building; the Ceramics department made the tiles for the floor; the Textile department made the original curtains and tapestries for the walls; and the School of Mechanical Engineering made the wrought iron for the light fixtures.
Auxiliary Services hopes to improve the atmosphere of Brittain Dining Hall. "We want it to be a place where people want to be, not a place where they have to be," said Steele.
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Copyright © 1998 by Gregory S. Scherrer, Editor and by the Student Publications Board
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