News

More than 50,000 fires occur nationwide each year as a result of space heaters. You can maintain a safe environment when using portable electric space heaters by doing the following.

To help fulfill Columbia's great need for more space for science instruction and academic research facilities, the University is about to begin constructing a new science building on the northwest corner of the Morningside campus.

Columbia University has taken another major step forward in its commitment to environmental stewardship by enrolling in the award-winning electric demand response program "Operation Save New York", administered by Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. (ECS). As part of the program, the University agrees to conserve electricity in certain areas of its operations when there is an electric shortage in New York State.

CUF is currently in the process of finalizing our summer 2007 construction program. I am writing to urge you to inform us of any new projects that are not already part of our program. Working with a complete inventory of summer projects will allow us to secure the required construction trade services and coordinate the internal staff resources necessary to ensure the timely completion of your projects.

With the holidays upon us and the fall term drawing to a close, Columbia University Facilities would like to remind you that you can help save energy and prevent loss or damage of property over the winter break. Here are a few simple things you can do to help before leaving on your final work day in December.

Back in May, we wrote to you outlining our construction activity plans for the summer in preparation for a safe, beautiful and functional campus environment. As we enter the fall semester, Columbia University Facilities is pleased to announce that we have successfully completed the following summer 2006 projects, which includes an estimated $25 million worth of renovations and improvements for existing buildings both on and off campus.

Want to escape from the crowds in the subway or the hassles of finding a parking spot? Bike to campus! Bicycling is one of the most healthy, economical, fun and environmentally friendly ways to commute.

This year, Columbia University Facilities and the Department of Public Safety have teamed up to make it easy and safe to park and lock your bike on campus.

On Tuesday, Aug. 8, George Rivera and Alex Lopez came dressed for the occasion. The two veteran maintenance staffers wore their green T-shirts, decorated with the universal recycling symbol and a question, "Remember this?"

The question was directed at administration, faculty and staff, who'd been invited to participate in "Clean + Go Green." Under the auspices of the Facilities Department, "Clean + Go Green" was an opportunity to get rid of unusable and unwanted items in an environmentally conscious way - by keeping them out of the waste stream.

With extremely high temperatures forecasted through Thursday, Con Edison is expecting record power-use levels this week and is urging New Yorkers to conserve electricity. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you what we are doing to reduce energy consumption during the heat wave, and what you can do to help.

You may have recently heard about the improvements we are making at Columbia University Facilities in order to serve you better. One of the initiatives we are most excited about is the launch of the new Facilities Services Center, the single point of contact for all of your facilities needs.

The design team for Columbia's new Northwest Science Building faced a daunting challenge: how to help fulfill the University's great need for more laboratory space while still building "green."

Columbia University Facilities is installing new underground utilities in the Wien Hall Courtyard to replace existing aged piping and support future infrastructure upgrades.