A fourth-floor industrial design studio in the northwest corner of the Student Innovation Center was partially furnished this week. Photos by Christopher Gannon.
Sidewalks and driveways are in, the lawn is seeded and the construction fence is gone. But interior work at the Student Innovation Center continues in various phases of completion as spring semester gets underway. Up on the third and fourth floors, workers are cleaning interior glass, wiping construction dust from sills and railings, and uncrating equipment and furniture. The second floor awaits them when they finish the top floors. Director Jim Oliver said he and his staff hope to move into their second-floor offices later this month.
The main and basement levels remain construction zones, with painting, tiling and floor work still occurring. Equipment for specific labs will arrive through early March. One example is machinery for three collaborative "makerspace" labs on the lower levels, as well as security systems that allow trained students to use it. Also pending are installations of a buildingwide dust collection system and audio/visual technology -- lots of it!
Oliver said a handful of spring semester classes that start in other campus locations will relocate to the Student Innovation Center during spring break. He estimates the building will be open, without restrictions, to the campus community around April 1, in advance of an April 17 grand opening celebration.
The fourth-floor student-run café (apparel, events and hospitality management department).
Second-floor view of the under-construction stepatorium, descending toward the Student Innovation Center's east door. Pictured at the top left is the central outdoor courtyard.
Interaction spaces, like this one along a fourth-floor corridor, will be set up throughout the Student Innovation Center.
Workers clean the glass walls and floor of an east side meeting-room-with-views at the Student Innovation Center.
