Ewha announced the reconstruction of the Human Ecology Building (Morris Hall) and Helen Hall (Nursing Science) as part of the Ewha Campus Master Plan.
Although Ewha is well-known for its beautiful campus with famous buildings including the Ewha Campus Complex (ECC) and Welch-Ryang Auditorium, many buildings remain underdeveloped due to their long history.
The Human Ecology Building, built in 1972, has various facilities including lecture halls, science labs, a cafeteria, and a swimming pool. However, the building faces issues due to lack of redevelopment and absence of up- to-date heating and cooling systems, causing inconvenience.
Yoo Jeong Eun, a freshman from the Department of English Education, currently takes classes at one of the main lecture halls in the Human Ecology Building. Yoo expressed her anticipation towards the renewal of the building, emphasizing safety hazards.
“Even though the lecture room is large and is able to accommodate many students, there are only a few elevators available that are also too small to hold enough students at once,” Yoo said. “The elevators are old, and the doors close too quickly. I hope students will be able to study in a safer and more comfortable environment after the reconstruction.”
Built in 1957, Helen Hall was originally used as a library for nearly 30 years. Currently used by the College of Nursing, the building faces many problems with old facilities, including the absence of elevators in the five-story building.
Seol Hyewon, a junior from the College of Nursing, pointed out both aspects of improvement and maintenance of the building.
“The fact that Helen Hall does not have any elevators is concerning,” Seol said. “Although it is simply a problem of fatigue for people like me, my friend who once injured her leg had a hard time climbing the stairs. I believe the current structure does not consider the convenience of those with impaired mobility.”
Seol also mentioned the unique structure of the building that leads to major inconvenience. Helen Hall has two flights of stairs, each on the right and left side of the first floor. When students climb the left staircase, they are only able to access lecture halls on the left side of the building, and the same goes for the right. Due to this structure, students have to go up and down the stairs after each lecture.
“I was happy to hear that my underclassman will be able to study in a more developed and pleasant environment,” Seol said. “Indeed, as nursing students have a lot of memories about Helen Hall, most of them will have bittersweet emotions about the reconstruction. All the more, I hope the renewed building can serve as a meaningful and useful space for students, while also maintaining Ewha’s long history and value.”
To collect more thoughts about the reconstruction, Ewha Voice conducted a survey of 85 Ewha students from March 29 to April 2.
To begin with, 45.9 percent of the respondents believed that the Human Ecology Building was useful for its various amenities, while 43.5 percent expressed that the building did not have any positive aspects. 65.9 percent of the respondents replied that they were unsatisfied with the crumbling facilities, and 47.1 percent were unsatisfied about the complicated building structure.
Furthermore, 51.8 percent of the respondents replied that Helen Hall is meaningful for its historical significance and symbolism, although 51.8 percent were unsatisfied about the absence of elevators and 42.4 percent about the underdeveloped facilities.
Office of University Planning and Coordination (Planning and Coordination) and Office of Facilities Management (Construction) stated that the Campus Master Plan is a basic plan to manage campus space from a long- term macroscopic perspective, with the aim of securing campus sustainability by efficient utilization and space optimization.
The Human Ecology Building (including the Alumnae Building) was designated as a building subject to demolition and reconstruction in the building status survey, and therefore planned to be re-built as a symbolic building in the Back Gate area in the 2014 Campus Master Plan. In the case of Helen Hall, a reconstruction plan has been established in connection with the Ewha Centennial Library.
Currently, both projects have been announced for its design domains, and the basic design will begin at the end of May 2023, followed by construction to begin in early 2025. The Human Ecology Building will have educational space, a start-up campus, and a convergence research center, while Helen Hall will have a high-tech academic information center.
The reconstruction of the Human Ecology Building and Helen Hall will have a total floor area of 63,000m2 and 10,280m2, respectively. The expenses for the reconstruction project will be raised through the school expenses construction fund and donations.
“Currently, we are securing alternative space in preparation for the loss of space during the construction period,” the school mentioned. “We will continuously work to minimize the inconvenience of students during the reconstruction process, and we look forward for students’ attention towards the renewal.”