...a bridge, many meters of conduit, some "vanilla" lighting and plenty of stainless steel.
Much has taken place since last writing a blog. I will attempt to update readers with all of our incredible progress, credit going to Boldt, Uihlein Wilson and the two campus committees, Campus Center Construction Oversight Committee and the Campus Center Planning Committee. 3000 truck loads of earth have been removed and 600 truckloads (23 million pounds!) of concrete have been poured! We are on schedule and within budget!!!!!
I will begin with an update of the land bridge over Lawe Street. The schedule for land bridge construction has been driven by the City of Appleton and the reconstruction of the College Avenue bridge which will begin in June 2008. Due to the College Avenue bridge being closed, all traffic will be diverted to Lawe Street. Lawe Street must be free of all construction when College Avenue is closed, therefore our land bridge has to be in place with all cranes, trucks and workmen out of the way. In the previous blog you learned the foot bridge had been "deconstructed". Our land bridge (no longer a foot bridge) progresses and includes the pouring of the abutments and the ordering of the concrete precast sections. After further measurements are taken, as the abutment concrete cures, 18 bridge sections weighing a total of 1,023,800 pounds, will be put into place in early January. The bridge will be partially complete once the sections are lowered into place, however, much work remains before the students will be allowed to use it. Welding, railings and the building of walkways and contours must be finished before the landscaping can be installed. We are projecting a date of October 2008 for pedestrian use of the bridge. The precast part of the bridge is going to be enhanced by large letters spelling out "Lawrence University" for all Lawe Street traffic, pedestrian or vehicular, to see.
Our "Concrete Pour" was a success with the weather clearing for about 4 hours which was just enough time to stage our event. Peter Bennett and Nathan Litt, students on the CCPC, opened the chute for the concrete to slide into a form or mold called a "dead head." A "dead head" is used to keep the gang forms in place as the weighty concrete rushes into the "mold." ...and speaking of concrete, we will be pouring massive amounts of concrete from now until the end of April. We are pouring the structural slab on grade at elevation 743 this week. This slab will become part of the kitchen located to the north of the servery.
A lot of thought and planning has gone into the security system, security cameras and audio/visual needs for this building. Why did we tackle this detailed project at this point? The conduit for all of these technical pieces has to be put into the concrete slabs which are currently being poured and will continue to be poured for the remaining floors. The nature of this building requires a great deal of audio visual equipment; speakers, mixers, lighting, and screens not to mention computers and all their paraphernalia. (You can tell I am not a techie nor do I speak the language.) Steve Hirby and Steve Armstrong have really kept their fingers on this process and "we couldn't have done it without them." We have solicited professional advice for some of the audio visual equipment to be recessed into soffits and ceilings ensuring the sought after aesthetic appearance of each room.
"Vanilla" lighting, to quote our architect Del Wilson, has been selected. The "vanilla" lighting refers to all lighting which is not specialized for a space, for example special spaces like the Main Street, the cinema, etc. The vanilla lighting will be in the offices and work areas of the building and our choices were made with the help of Dan Meyer, LU energy guru, who continues to monitor the amount of energy we will be consuming in the new facility. Several lighting fixture samples for "Main Street" have been hung in the Science Hall Atrium to help the committee members make an informed choice. Proper lighting is so important and choosing the right lighting for spaces dedicated to special functions is crucial.
The selection of kitchen equipment has been a process which has taken over a year. There are over 500 pieces of new equipment for the kitchen and some of our present equipment, in excellent condition, will be moved into the new facility. Patrick Niles, Director of Dining Services has poured over countless spec sheets and asked at least a million questions to ensure our kitchen equipment is energy efficient, the proper capacity and comes with a warranty or servicing program. The servery promises to provide variety and fresh food choices for the students and we expect our new kitchen equipment will help us reach this goal.
The process of pouring concrete in cold weather employs unique techniques and is labor intensive. When next I "blog" I will cover that subject.
