Scott BresslerAs the majority of Washington University students were away from campus this summer, construction across campus progressed and advanced the development of several capital projects currently underway.
“We make a big effort to do the stuff that is outside the project sites during the summer,” said Steve Rackers, manager of capital projects and records. “There were a lot of areas of campus that were torn up before students got here.”
According to Rackers, upgrades to the plumbing and utilities, which will service the Law and Social Sciences Building, required digging trenches as deep as 25 feet in some places.
Although the effects of digging have been largely removed, there is still no foliage between the Knight Center and Law School where much work took place.
“It looked like a strip mine,” said Rackers. “It all got back together just days before everyone got back.”
Other notable construction milestones reached over the summer include the completion of the central underground parking garage that is now open for use. Due to continuing construction on the university center, however, cars must use a temporary entrance to the garage that passes by Simon Hall.
Above the garage, construction on the new University Center has also moved forward; workers have established the frame of the building and have begun to erect the masonry walls.
According to Rackers, as construction moves forward on the University Center, it will largely be contained within the building site for safety reasons, however vehicles will continue to use the access located north of the building site.
Both the University Center and the Social Sciences Building are set to open during the summer of 2008.
Some students have noticed the green paint currently visible on the new Law building. According to Rackers, this layer is a moisture-air barrier added to the building as part of its LEED certification.
In addition to the continuing improvements on the Danforth Campus, this summer’s construction sites included several residential areas.
The most significant project was the start of construction on “Village East,” a new residential building next to the Millbrook Apartments. Structural concrete was poured over the summer providing a foundation for the new building.
On the South 40, renovations were made to Park and Mudd residential halls. Work in Park focused on creating a freshman dorm, while sprinklers were added in Mudd.
Some construction on campus, however, was unrelated to the University’s capital improvement plans.
The footbridge that spans the MetroLink tracks and connects campus with the Loop has been given a new appearance as a result of the addition of a masonry finish from work by MetroLink.