Burch Hall Demolition

Located on the campus of North Dakota State College of Science, Burch Hall was constructed between 1909 and 1911 and was designed by Haxby and Gillespie Architects, Fargo, ND. The building was built for use as a dormitory with a dining room, kitchen, and laundry facility

The building had been vacant for many years and was in serious disrepair. The basement foundation wall leaked and allowed wet conditions and mold to develop, causing health concerns to its occupants. It was decided to demolish the structure to make a way for a future administrative building and to eliminate deferred maintenance.

As part of the description of work, the construction documents provided for the capping and/or rerouting of the building’s services, including steam lines, water, sewer, power, and telecommunications systems.

The college’s long-range masterplan called for a new building on the site. The backfill of the site was therefore designed to provide a compressive strength to accommodate a future structural foundation system, so the site would not need to be re-excavated and filled again.