An early morning fire on Aug. 11 that damaged the parking deck portion of the project has been characterized by investigators as suspicious in nature. Police had announced no suspects in the case as of press time.
"We haven't yet determined the extent of the damage," said Project Manager John Kronawitter. "We just don't know yet how the fire will impact our construction schedule." Kronawitter said Emory has contracted with a local engineering firm to assess the damage done by the fire and to identify which areas must be demolished and rebuilt.
Occupants of the five-story, 91,000-square-foot building will include: the Rollins School of Public Health on the first floor, including an auditorium and demonstration kitchen for nutrition education; The Emory Clinic on the second, third and fourth floors, where primary care activities will take place; and a faculty/staff fitness center and cardiac rehabilitation facility on the fifth floor. A mezzanine level containing an indoor track will overlook the fitness center.
Originally scheduled for completion by next spring, the project was designed by Sizemore Floyd Architects, and the general contractor is Beers Construction Co.
Other major construction and renovation projects in progress include:
Goizueta Business School
The 110,000-square-foot, $19-million building was about 40 percent complete as
of mid August, according to Project Manager Rex Kizort. A topping out party for
the project was held on Aug. 15. Completion of the five-story building at the
corner of Clifton Road and Fishburne Drive is set for next summer, with faculty
and staff expected to move from the nearby Rich Building in late summer. The
building will house not only the bulk of business school faculty and staff
currently in the Rich Building, but also those located off campus in the Lenox
Building.
The new business school will house faculty office and support space on the two upper floors, a 200-seat auditorium on the first floor, four classrooms each on the second and third floors, and an additional classroom in the Executive Education area on the second floor. Each of the classrooms will seat approximately 65 students.
The building's street level entrance will be on the second floor. While most of the first floor will be below grade, one side of the floor will face onto a courtyard similar to an existing courtyard near the Glenn Church School Building.
The project was designed by Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood Architects of Boston, and the general contractor is Holder Construction.
Walker-Callaway Center
Opening for fall semester classes this week, the Walker-Callaway Center
represents the merging of the former Physics and Humanities buildings plus a
new connector that links the two structures. The facility is named for Emory
alumnus Ely R. Callaway Jr., whose gift of Callaway Golf Co. stock three years
ago made the $8.6-million project possible.
According to Project Manager Jeff Kendrick, the project will yield 29,000 square feet of new usable space, including 15,000 square feet in the new connector, which will house restrooms for the entire facility. Converting restrooms into offices in the Humanities portion added 7,000 square feet, while building out the attic space in the Physics portion added another 7,000 square feet. Although relatively minor renovations were done in the Humanities portion, the Physics portion was entirely gutted and renovated. The Physics portion and new connector represent 55,000 square feet of classroom, office and support space.
The Walker-Callaway Center will add much-needed classroom space on the central campus, as well as office space for several departments, including the Institute of the Liberal Arts and religion.
Kendrick said that some minor cosmetic work will be completed by the end of September, including installation of a skylight in the connector and the completion of the restroom/office conversions in Humanities. That work should not interfere with classes and other activities in the building, he said.
The project was designed by Tippett Clepper & Associates, and the general contractor is Batson Cook Construction.
Center for Library Information Resources
Construction of this 65,000-square-foot, four-story addition between Woodruff
and Candler libraries and renovation of three floors of Woodruff Library began
recently. When completed in August 1998, the center will be the entrance point
for both Woodruff and Candler libraries and will house the technological
infrastructure for Emory's planned electronic library. The project will become
much more visible in the next few weeks when demolition of the bridge linking
the two libraries begins, according to Project Manager David Clear. Pedestrian
access to Woodruff Library from the quadrangle will be via a new sidewalk from
Asbury Circle to the library entrance. Later this fall, the library entrance
will be moved from the north side of the building to the south side.
Directional signs will be posted to minimize inconvenience for library patrons.
The $23-million project was designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson &
Abbott, Inc., of Boston, and the general contractor is Beers Construction.
Administration Building renovation
Staff and administrators on the third and fourth floors of the Administration
Building were delighted earlier this summer when the building's new elevator
become operational. For the six or seven weeks following commencement, stairs
provided the only access to those floors.
In addition to the installation of the new elevator, which is fully accessible, the project also included extensive renovation of the first floor and minor renovations on the third and fourth floors. Many of the first floor's occupants have remained but moved to different locations on the floor, including Institutional Planning and Research, Equal Opportunity Programs and various Institutional Advancement staff. The Office of Disability Services and Compliance, formerly located in a modular unit near Dobbs Center, has moved into the office of its parent department, Equal Opportunity Programs. Other new residents of the first floor include Vice President for Business Bobby Williams and his assistant, and three members of the General Counsel's Office who work closely with Williams.
Rex Kizort designed the renovation project, and the general contractor is Genoa Construction.
--Dan Treadaway