As construction workers prepare to apply the pre-cast, or first molding, to Patrick F. Taylor Hall’s new addition on the building’s west side, the steel beam structure is beginning to take shape.
Despite a 60-day delay caused by complications in hiring the project’s construction manager, Facility Services Director of Planning, Design and Construction Roger Husser said the renovation and expansion of Patrick F. Taylor Hall is moving quickly and will likely finish by the projected end date in December 2017.
“We’re completing this project quicker than we complete most projects historically that are smaller than this,” Husser said.
With a budget of $112 million, the construction project is the largest in LSU’s history. The building will be 462,000 square feet when completed, making it the largest building on campus.
The project’s speedy progress is partially attributed to the use of the construction manager at-risk method, as opposed to the design-bid-build method traditionally used in Louisiana, Husser said.
The construction manager at-risk method allows the manager to assist in designing the project and permits small portions of the work to start before the design is complete. The advanced construction work is helping the project move along swiftly, Husser said.
The project began in the spring with the abatement of asbestos, Husser said.
Patrick F. Taylor is currently in phase one of construction, which will account for a majority of the work done, Husser said. The projected finish date for the first phase is July 2016, allowing students to use the completed facilities by fall 2016.
The new structure on the west side will house new classroom space and an auditorium.
The goal is to get all the engineering faculty into one building, Husser said. The third floor of Patrick F. Taylor will be made up of faculty and graduate student offices, while the first and second floors will house classrooms and laboratories.
Following the abatement was the demolition of the northern half of the building in May. The third floor of the northern half of the building was gutted in the spring, and workers are currently building new walls and installing utilities on the third floor while gutting of the first and second floors takes place.
The second and final phase of construction is set to begin in fall 2016 and is projected to reach completion by the end of fall 2017 semester, allowing use of the entire facility to begin in spring 2018. Renovations to the southern half of the building will take place during this second phase.

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Abigail Smithson

Recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, the university undergoes expansion on Aug. 31, 2015 to allow space for a 3-D metal printing consortium at Patrick F. Taylor Hall.