North Quad construction nearly complete

Construction on North Quad, which started in May 2010, will soon be complete, said Jim Lowe, director of Engineering, Construction and Operations.

"Our intent is to finish at the beginning of Winter Break," he said.

Finishing before break, he said, allows those who have been moved by the project to move in before classes start in the new year.

The renovation occurred after the university decided they needed to update the mechanical, electrical and plumbing of the building. The building was completed in 1927 and additions were made in the 1950s, but the systems had not been fully updated since.

"Those systems were basically obsolete," Lowe said.

Most of the renovation was concerned with bringing the building up to current standards.

"The building has been modified," he said. "But it gets to a point where you just need an upgrade."

According to a Daily News article, the construction on North Quad also presented an opportunity to expand Ball State's geothermal project, which finished its first phase this semester.

The construction on North Quad was split into three phases. The first phase renovated the West side of the building, and the second and third phases updated the middle and East sides, respectively.

In a 2010 article, Lowe estimated the completion of the renovation to be done in Spring 2012.

Now, Lowe said the construction contract's set completion date is Dec. 16. He said he isn't concerned about going past that date because few problems have affected the project.

"Just the normal problems," he said. "Any construction project has opportunities for improvement."

He said a dedication, like that of Kinghorn Hall or L.A. Pittenger Student Center, for North Quad will happen sometime soon.

"I don't know when it will be, exactly," Lowe said. "The university will try to coincide it with a board meeting, most likely."

This practice has been used for past dedications, Lowe said. 


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