Upper Quad Construction Update
With demolition of Femoyer Hall and the neighboring Art and Design Learning Center complete, construction crews are now focused on the first stages of building for the Corps Leadership and Military Science Building and the new Corps residence hall. Here is the work planned for the coming months:
New Corps Residence Hall
The immediate tasks for construction are happening underground. The deep foundation system is called “rigid inclusions” and consists of drilling 288 16-inch-wide holes some 40 feet into the ground and filling them with concrete. The concrete footings that tie the deep foundations together are 18- to 24-inches thick. This work should be complete in December.
December: The structural precast concrete walls, slabs, beams, and stair systems will begin to be poured 241 miles away in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
January 2022: The concrete foundation walls should be complete, and crews will begin work on underground plumbing piping and electrical conduit beneath the first floor.
February 2022: Late in the month, structural precast concrete pieces will start arriving on site and the structural frame of the building will begin. The precast concrete pieces will be set with a crane that is over 300 feet tall.
March 2022: When the concrete framing system gets to the third floor, the first-floor concrete slab on grade will begin to be poured.
Corps Leadership and Military Science Building
The building will be supported by 201 micropiles. Each is a 7-inch-wide steel pipe drilled 42+ feet into the ground and filled with a concrete-like grout.
December: The west half of the structural steel will begin to be set for all three floors and the roof. Because the building will span over the existing Water Treatment Plant (not sit on top of it or touch it), the structural floor beams for the first floor are quite large. The longest single piece of steel is over 62 feet long and weighs over 10 tons!
January 2022: Work on the west side moves forward with completion of the structural steel and the start of framing for exterior walls, poured concrete floors, and the roof. Meanwhile, structural steel will begin to be set for the east half of the building.
February 2022: Work on the east side continues, including exterior walls, concrete floors, and roof. The building’s two rooftop air conditioning system will be set.
March 2022: The roof should be complete, and crews should be able to set the architectural precast concrete on the finished exterior walls for the west half. The largest piece is almost 30 feet tall. Toward the end of the month, 15,000+ square feet of Hokie Stone will arrive for the exterior walls.