MSU construction creeps toward completion
By the end of October, the construction surrounding MSU should finally come to a halt.
“The MSU project is nearing completion. John Webb and his construction team have done an outstanding job and this is going to be a very nice addition to the facility,” said Pamela Glover, assistant vice president for Business & Finance.
Structural superintendent John Webb said the bookstore expansion and renovation project has added space and created a larger patio area to better accommodate the needs of the university.
“Along with adding much needed space and facilities, we have slowly transformed a very outdated contemporary facade with one more in keeping with the campus palette,” said Webb.
The bookstore expansion and renovation is phase three of a four-phase project. The project started with the new entrance and message board at MSU in 2001. The second phase was the addition of the University Banquet Room and Student Activities office suite addition and renovation, completed in October. The final part of the project will be the expansion and renovation of Hoke Dining Room.
“These projects, in their entirety, serve several purposes. We have added additional restroom facilities to the dining hall, we have added necessary ADA compliant entrances, we have provided additional office space and dining spaces, and a new message board which allows more information to be shared to the campus community,” said Webb.
Construction projects begin when the selected architect provides preliminary drawings for each phase to the Vice President of Business and Finance and the Department Chair or Division Head.
The President and Executive Staff must then approve the preliminary drawings. The architect may then move forward with construction documents, including drawings and specifications; these documents must then receive signatures from authorities before construction finally begins.
Once the bookstore project was underway, many complications were encountered. Weather, conflicts with subcontractor schedules, and availability of material were all contributing factors.
“There has been a large mark up on steel prices and availability of steel [has been an issue]. We also ran through a period when concrete was on curtailment. The major companies that provide grout for concrete plants boycotted sales to the United States in reaction to our involvement in Iraq. The major grout companies are located in France,” said Webb.
Webb said the construction team faced many “unforeseen existing issues,” such as sewer lines and large sections of concrete structure. Solving issues with storm waters was also a challenging
aspect.
“The new patio is basically in a hole that a lot of water travels through via underground storm pipes. Where the patio is located, we get water run-off from Parks Hall parking lot and a portion of Green and McIntosh Streets. A large volume of water travels right through the patio area. Solving a potential reoccurring flooding issue has been a problem,” said Webb.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 17 2004. Filed under News.
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