Workers have been hammering away at all times of the day to construct the new Math, Business, and Health Sciences Building, set to be completed later this year.
“There have been several rain delays and problems with the concrete construction,” Bruce Hoerning, assistant director of facilities planning and services, said. “but these are issues that can be fixed on make-up days. We haven’t fallen behind because of it; everything is right on schedule.”
Construction is moving along smoothly with the majority of the concrete work being done by March 25. The workers are currently working on pouring the roof decking, Hoerning said.
“Building of the new MBHS facility began in March of 2010 when the company Taisei won the construction bid at a board meeting,” Tom Brown, assistant director of facilities planning and services, said. “The scheduled time for it to be completed should be around August 31, 2011.”
Hoerning said that construction on the MBHS building is being funded by Measure E, a bond that was worth a total of $394 million available for the campus to use for new facilities.
“The new facility will be four stories with similar architecture to the Humanities Building,” Jo Ann Higdon, vice president of administrative services, said. “It will house math and business classes on the first three floors, and nursing, respiratory tech, and radiology classes on the fourth floor.”
Once the new MBHS is built, the old Math and Computer Sciences Building will become the new home of classes from the technical arts building. The old Technical Arts Building, located on the north side of campus will eventually be torn down and replaced with a new parking structure.
“It won’t be until September 29 that the MBHS building will be ready for commissioning and furnishing, but the building won’t be fully operational for classes until spring of 2012,” Hoerning said.
The new MBHS Building will have a total of 58 classrooms, 72 faculty offices and three divisional offices.
“I’m very excited,” Alex Kim, communications major, said. “I think it’s awesome that EC is providing us with new and better buildings.”
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