To see a video on the Student Union construction, click here.
Behind plywood walls in the back of the Student Union, the tools of construction workers still choke the soon-to-be-finished Live Oak Lounge with dust and smoke. On the third floor, incomplete walls offer a view of Highland Road and more construction.Student-funded renovations of the Union began in 2006, yet the estimated $83.7 million project still remains in its first phase.Phase I of construction, which includes building the Live Oak Lounge, office space for student organizations and a student computer lab, was scheduled to be completed by April. The projected opening date for these elements has been moved back from October to mid-November.”What is behind schedule is the phasing,” said Ken Bueche, associate director of the Union. “We don’t see construction as behind.”Additional elements of construction, such as additional entrances and the connector between the Live Oak Lounge and the main entrance, have been added to Phase I since the original proposal was developed.Many of the major setbacks have been unforeseeable since construction began, said Bueche. The discovery and removal of asbestos in the ceiling, underground obstructions and difficulties adjusting the mechanical elements of the building have all slowed the construction process.Difficulties with the air control system have also been detrimental to the construction schedule. The removal of old duct work and the demolition of older air conditioning units has become priority to opening the Live Oak Lounge.”Things are starting to move along,” said Randy Roussell, Union project engineer. “These units getting turned around is making a big difference.”The recently activated new air control units have been a major step forward and will allow for new construction to begin this week, Bueche said.The process of making these changes to the building’s mechanical system and remaining open to students has been successful, but slow. Currently, 60 percent of the building is operating on the new mechanical system installed since construction began.”This is one of the most complex projects the state has ever done,” said Jerry Hebert, managing partner of Grace & Hebert Architecture.Because the building is set to have renovations only in sections at a time in order to remain open to students, concerns for safety have kept construction conservative. The University must first receive permission from the fire marshal before opening any of the Union’s new features.”It is very difficult to get a fire marshal to bless just portions of even a new building,” Roussell said. “At the end of the day, it’s the fire marshal we have to deal with.”The Union will be 20 percent larger with 50,000 additional square-feet, significantly increasing the number of people inside at any given time. Because of this, three new entrances will have to be made available to act as escape routes in case of a fire, as dictated by the fire code.The new exits, which will be placed on the south, southeast and southwest sides of the building, are necessary for opening elements on both the second and third floors. There has been debate between Union officials over opening McDonald’s and the new Einstein Bagel before the rest of Phase I is finished, but the issue remains unresolved.”Right now we are hoping that the whole southeast section of the Union will come online together,” said Shirley Plakidas, Union director.—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]