By Bob Romantic
GCU News Bureau
Construction at GCU will come to a halt on Wednesday.
Well, only for a few hours and only at the new College of Arts and Sciences building. Rest assured, the rapid transformation of campus is still at full throttle with four new buildings on schedule to be completed by Aug. 15, and the renovation of four others also in the works.
But at 3 p.m. Wednesday, the hard hats will be put away at the CAS building to allow for a tour of the impressive facility, which is about 50 percent complete. Those interested in attending the tour should meet just north of the bookstore at the construction gate at 3 p.m. Closed-toed shoes are required.
What will you see of the new building?
Charlie Sirokman, project director for campus development, will guide the tour. From the outside, she said, the scaffolding is beginning to come down, giving passersby a good look at the exterior.
Inside, Sirokman said, “The sheetrock is already up and painted on the first floor, and the second floor is close behind.” The third and fourth floors, which require more complex wiring, are not as far along. They will house a new DNA lab as well as skills and simulation labs.
“We’re very excited about that, because it will be state of the art,” Sirokman said of the DNA lab.
In all, the building will include six science labs, the simulation and skills labs, two computer labs, 19 classrooms, three lecture halls, a chapel, and offices for Spiritual Life, Christian Studies, Liberal Arts and Criminal Justice.
Beyond the CAS building, Sirokman offered these updates on three other new GCU construction projects:
- Work on the foundation of the parking garage has begun “and will start coming out of the ground in about two weeks.” It will be a five-story, 512,000-square-foot structure with 1,629 parking stalls. The façade of the garage facing Camelback Road will have a more sophisticated look. “We wanted to create a beautiful feature rather than a pre-cast building,” Sirokman said. “We wanted it to have some character.”
- Camelback Hall, just east of Prescott Hall, is about 65 percent complete. It also will house offices for Security, ROTC and the Help Center.
- Sedona Hall, being built next to Canyon Hall, is about 60 percent complete. It will be all dorm rooms.
Of the renovations, Sirokman said:
- Office space in Prescott Hall for the departments of Student Life, Career Services, Health Services and Associated Students of GCU will be completed this week. Those offices, currently located in the Student Union building, will relocate this weekend.
- Once the offices in the Student Union are vacated, renovation of that building will begin on May 7 in order to reorganize the food service area and expand seating. Food stations will be made into more islands in other parts of the dining area, and seating will increase from 312 to 602 to accommodate 1,700 additional students expected in the fall.
- Renovation of the North Gym also starts May 7. Four studded walls and a drop ceiling will be constructed to divide the space into four lecture halls, each with tiered seating that will hold 100 students.
- Renovation of the Colter Apartments at the intersection of Colter Street and 31st Avenue has begun and is expected to be completed by Sept. 1. The interior of the apartments is being demolished and converted into office space that will house the Human Resources Department, Facilities, Marketing and the Office of Academic Records.
Contact Bob Romantic at 639.7611 or [email protected].
