Progress Meeting #7

We have not been blogging after our progress meetings so today I thought we should start. For those of you out there on campus, our construction meetings take place in the orange Whiting Turner trailers next to the Lane Center. The meeting is a gathering of university employees, contractors, university of Maryland representatives, and the architect. We have meetings every two weeks so from here on out we will be sharing information from these meetings.

Today it was determined that pending no major delays there are 343 days remaining in the project. Over the next few weeks, the contractors hopes to begin setting the steel for the expansion. This will be a noticeable occurrence that will signal the project is moving quickly forward. In addition to this, the patio and other features of the Lane Center have been removed. The contractor reports that most of the "bulk demo" has been complete and that they are ready to begin working on the duct work in the building. Things seem to be progressing nicely and we will continue to post on the progress of the Lane Center expansion and renovation project.

Renovation Continues--Project enters phase two

The Lane University Center is currently undergoing a serious renovation and a nearly 12,000 square feet addition. Essentially the entire building is being renovated and will receive new finishes giving the building a fresh new look. The building addition and renovation will include increased meeting space and lounge space, a 24 hour computer lab, a fitness center focusing on cardio equipment, Greek student and general student organization offices, and a state of the art smart lounge featuring Xbox 360 and Wii gaming stations. The ARAMARK servery is also slated to expand and the ARMAH will be receiving a much needed face lift. Finally, the Bookstore is expanding and will include an increased retail space.

We have now entered phase two of the renovation and construction project. Having turned over the building to the construction managers, the Lane Center services and offices have relocated to Tawes Hall and the Annex building. The Lane University Center will remain closed through the spring and fall of 2010 and will reopen in January of 2011. We are excited about this opportunity and await the arrival of the opening of the new Lane University Center building.

The Lane University Center was turned over to Whiting Turner on December 21st. In the two short weeks the University was closed, the construction managers have made some significant progress. Demolition of essentially the entire inside areas of building is all most complete. Noticeable traits of the Lane Center such as the elevator and main staircase are no longer there. Below you will see men working in the elevator shaft. This will be filled in during the renovation process.

Next you will see the area where the stairs used to be located.

The final picture is a view of the former second floor office area. The area is now completely gutted and will be reconfigured during the renovation.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Please check back often to get the latest on the Lane University Center renovation.