Baker Laboratory
Return to Campus Map
ESF completed a $37 million rehabilitation project of Baker Laboratory in 2008. Baker is home to the Department of Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering and the Department of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering, and the Academic Computing Center.
The project added three high-tech lecture halls and six new computer labs, and used the latest in green construction practices.
Green innovations used in the project include extensive use of electronic lighting controls and occupancy sensors in the rooms and a sophisticated building management system. This digital control system regulates the air handling and exhaust systems. Baker also features a 23 kw (kilowatt) photovoltaic system, which provides window shading to the south side of the building. The building extensively utilizes recycled building materials, maximizes the use of natural lighting and recovers storm water from the roof for gray water applications. Four 1,000-gallon storage tanks have been installed in the basement of Baker Lab to collect rainwater from the roof. The water will be used in the building's cooling towers.
The College is applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the building as a LEED Silver rehabilitation.
New labs for green construction/building materials research, composite products research, and an updated wood engineering test lab are among the enhanced facilities.
Originally dedicated in 1957, the building honors Hugh P. Baker, a dynamic leader and first dean of the College.
Formal Name: Hugh P. Baker Memorial Laboratory
Dedication Date: 1957
Gross Area: 133,500 SF
Original Cost: $4,000,000
Primary Use: Teaching; Research; Service
Program Units
- Department of Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering
- Department of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering
- Academic Computing Center
- Tropical Timber Information Center
- Wood Utilization Service
- Renewable Materials Institute
- Analytical and Technical Services
- Council for Geospacial Modeling and Analysis
Named Facilities:
- Nelson C. Brown Center for Ultrastructure Studies
- Harry P. Brown Memorial Wood Collection
- Mapping Science Laboratory
- C.J.K. Wang Wood Biodegradation Laboratory
Program Support Facilities:
- Wood Engineering Laboratory
- Wood Protection Laboratory
- Composite Products Laboratory
- Wood Machining Laboratory
- conditioning rooms
- Digital Image Processing Laboratory
- Electron Microscopy laboratories
- specimen preparation rooms
- Strength of Materials Laboratory
- Mechanical testing laboratory
- Sawmill
- Dry kiln.
Specialized Equipment: JEOL 5800LV scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer, JEOL 2000EX transmission electron microscope, ETEC auto scan scanning electron microscope with EDAX wavelength X-ray analyzer; light microscopy/image analysis lab with fluorescent and Nomarski microscopes, digital image processing and microtomes
Origin of Name: The building is a memorial to Hugh P. Baker, a dean (1912-1920; 1930-1933) who did much to develop and promote the College.
