Residential Village
The new residential village is the heart of this redevelopment project. When it is complete, over 500 beds will have been replaced with beautifully designed, state-of-the-art facilities surrounding "The Circle".
December 22: Each time a new stage begins on the buildings, my thought is "the project is really starting to take shape now". That was certainly the case when the first roof structures were set into place. Standing at the north end of what will eventually be "The Circle" and looking into the center of the village, it is evident how impressive these new homes for Ouachita students will be.
Site Building 2
House 1 and 2 4th Floor
Building 1 Corridor Pouring 4th floor
November 21: The exterior framing of the buildings is approximately 90% complete. The interior wall framing continues - as a house goes up, work begins inside with framing walls and the "inside the wall" work (wiring, piping, ducts, etc). The exterior sheathing began this week as well.
Building 1 Building 2
House 1 & 2 Building 1 south stairs
October 22: Framing started on the southmost end of the project - houses 1 and 12 - and will continue around to the northmost end of the circle, nearest Sturgis. As the contractors work there way around the framing is in various stages. In some areas, the houses are framed all the way up, in some only the first level is framed. Some floors have the decking installed, others have the second and third level slabs poured and the ductwork is beginning to be installed. Also, the mechanical contractor is installing much of the mechanical equipment in the central plant and construction of that "building" has begun.
September 23: The first steel beam was set in place today! Now this project is beginning to look like a building!
First Beam
Steel delivery Crane
September 19: After several rainy days, the slab for building 1 has been poured. The footings and underground utilities for building 2 will be compete by Monday and that slab will be poured beginning early Tuesday morning. Steel delivery will start on Monday as well and is scheduled to begin going up next Wednesday.
Pouring the Building 1 slab
Bldg 1 elevator pit being waterproofed Shows how close construction is to existing dorms
August 29: More rain! This has been an unusually wet August. Most of the past two weeks has been spent completing the water and sewer lines, working on storm drains and setting the footings for the buildings. The building slabs should be poured by September 8.
This is what rain does... Installing rebar for the footings
Pouring building footings Elevator pit
August 15: Rain! It was certain to happen eventually. It seemed as if we were going to get the building out of the ground without any weather issues but a major front came through, dropping about 8" of rain over 3 days. That much rain obviously leaves a mess and has slowed work for several days. Pouring building foundations was pushed back one week as a result. This week, the primary water line from the city was connected to a new line around the housing site. Work to relocate electric service to the area has also been completed.
Quite a pond, but no fish. New 10" water line
August 1: The underground utility work is almost complete. The contractor is working quickly to get this phase of the project finished before students return for the fall semester. Also, this week installation of "geopiers" began for the foundation of the buildings. Interested in what a geopier is? In laymans terms it means digging a hole, pouring rock back in the hole (about one foot at a time) and ramming it over and over to create an extremely hard and stable surface for the foundation.
July 25: Most of the work this week has been to install underground utilities around the site and connecting to the central plant behind Tiger Den.
July 22: The footprint for Building 1 has been staked out. The foundation piers are scheduled next week. Also, the west parking lot site has been cut.
Building 1 Footprint staked out Daniel lobby
July 18: Work began in earnest this week. The Sturgis parking lot and Daniel lawn have disappeared as the site is prepared for construction. The loss of Daniel lawn is a sad thought but The Circle will more than replace that recreational space. Part of Daniel lobby was also removed this week because it was in the footprint of Building 2. The lobby is still there and usable - just a bit smaller.
We've suspected for the last several weeks that our original plan to open the first two buildings in August was too ambitious. That thought was confirmed this week as we set a projected completion date of December 1, 2009 for those buildings. Although the date change is a minor setback, it will ensure that the project is complete prior to move in and the additional time will improve the quality of construction.
Housing site Utility work behind Daniel
July 11: Over the summer, a number of important tasks have been completed related to the housing construction but much of it is hardly noticeable. Electric power lines and fiber optic cable have been moved, which allows us to keep power and network services running in the existing North Campus buildings as well as provide utilities for the future housing. The old tennis courts have been removed to make way for the central plant that will provide heat, air, hot water and other essentials to the buildings. Tiger Den though, was saved! Our plan had been to demolish the Tiger Den building but our architects found a way to keep that structure. It will be available for use this fall and into the future.