Three major construction projects started last year - a new women's dormitory, an addition to the Law School building called the Eck Family Hall of Law and a new engineering building named Stinson-Remick Hall - are still underway on Notre Dame's West Quad, DeBartolo Quad and near the original site of the former University Club.
According to Associate Vice President and University Architect Doug Marsh, these projects made considerable progress during the summer, and their construction will continue throughout the academic year.
"The weather was nearly ideal for construction this summer," Marsh said.
Marsh also said the University employed over 650 tradesmen everyday during the summer to ensure progress on the campus construction projects.
However, construction on these projects have not always been smooth-sailing, as Vice President of Business Operations Jim Lyphout explained.
"Last winter's weather was challenging for outdoor construction activities, and the Law School was impacted by these conditions. It will be completed on time but additional resources have been required to meet the schedule," Lyphout said.
According to Lyphout, construction on the Law School building, located on DeBartolo Quad, will cost $57.7 million and will continue though December 2008.
The new women's hall will cost the University $18.3 million and is set to be open in August 2009, Lyphout said.
Stinson-Remick Hall is the mostly expensive of the three projects, costing $69.3 million. Construction of the new engineering building broke ground last November and it is set to open in Jan. 2010.
Since all three buildings will serve different functions upon their completion, Marsh said that these projects each have their specific challenges when it comes to their construction.
"The women's residence hall involves load bearing masonry walls which is very time consuming and labor intensive," Marsh said. "The Law School project has challenges with respect to its connection to an existing building while it is occupied."
Additionally, Stinson-Remick Hall is a cast-in-place reinforced concrete structure which is also labor intensive, Marsh said.
Lyphout also said that the construction sites will remain as they are until the projects are completed - meaning that the fenced-in areas on the campus' West Quad will continue to hamper mobility around campus.
According to Marsh, the new women's hall, located near the Hammes Bookstore, will serve as a residence for 248 women next fall.
The unnamed women's hall will be 74,600 square feet, according to a University press release.
Although the women's hall has been constructed using similar materials to those used on Duncan Hall, Marsh said that its design will not be identical to Duncan's.
"Its design is unique, but its details and materials are similar to those used on Duncan Hall," he said.
The Law School addition, which will be called the Eck Family Hall of Law, will open in January 2009, while the existing Law School building, Biolchini Hall will continue to be renovated for about another year, Marsh said. The addition will feature a covered archway connecting the two buildings.
Stinson-Remick Hall, which is being erected near the site of the University Club will include a nano-technology research center, a new energy center, an undergraduate interdisciplinary learning center and a semiconductor processing and device fabrication clean room.
