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Stokes Hall will be reaching for the sky this summer – at the rate of about 15 feet a month.
With its foundation in place, structural steel rising skyward and concrete masonry walls and floor decking ready for installation, the framework of Boston College’s new four-story, 183,000-square foot academic building will expand into place this summer and University administrators say construction of the new facility is on target for completion in the fall of 2012.
Construction on the north wing of Stokes hall is set to move upward by one level every four weeks; work on the larger south wing will advance a level about every six weeks in the coming months.
“Even after such a hard winter, we will still stay on track by aggressively pushing this phase,” said Mary Nardone, associate vice president for capital projects management. “This will be a very busy summer in terms of all of our large-scale construction projects.”
In addition to the installation of the framework structure of the Stokes project, the arrival of granite stone in mid-June will herald the beginning of work on Stokes Hall’s exterior walls, which will continue through the summer and fall months. When completed, Stokes Hall will include faculty offices for Classical Studies, English, History, Philosophy, Theology, the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program, the Arts & Sciences Service Center, Academic Advising Center and First Year Experience offices, as well as 36 new classrooms, a commons area, conference rooms and outdoor gardens and plaza space. More on the Stokes Hall project
Three other major campus construction projects are also on target for completion during the upcoming academic year, said Nardone.
•The exterior and interior work on Gasson Hall will be completed in August and occupants of the University’s signature building are scheduled to move into the refurbished classroom and office structure prior to the start of the fall semester. Final aspects of the 15-month Gasson renovation project include the installation of new windows and the rebuilding of the east and west porticos and stairways. Interior improvements include life safety and accessibility upgrades.
•On the Brighton Campus, interior renovations to the building at 129 Lake Street (formerly Bishop Peterson Hall) will continue through the summer months along with site and roadway drainage work in the vicinity. The building is scheduled to be reoccupied this fall by the offices of the Financial Vice President and Human Resources departments that are currently located in More Hall.
•Construction of a new wing at the former Chancery building at 2121 Commonwealth Avenue is now underway, with erection of structural steel starting this month. The new addition will be weather-tight by the end of summer, according to Nardone, and completion of the project is scheduled for late February of 2012.
The reconstructed Chancery facility will house the University’s Advancement and Alumni staffs.
Check in at BCInfo for news and announcements regarding campus construction during the summer.