By Joanna Ekenes
Harris Fine Arts Center construction is right on schedule according to Scott Boyter, assistant dean for the College of Fine Arts and Communications and manager of the building.
Boyter said that renovations to the building are about two fifths of the way completed, and should be finished by Christmastime.
“The impact on fall classes will be small,” he said. “The effects of the construction will be felt more by faculty members who have offices in the building, once work begins in the hallways.”
Tom Griffiths, professor of communications, is being effected by the construction.
“I was going to move to an office on the fifth floor, but the move has been delayed because they are pouring concrete in the F wing,” Griffiths said. “They have also had to move the graduate research center up to the fourth floor.”
Griffiths said that some faculty member have had their offices temporarily relocated due to the construction activity in the F wing.
Boyter said that the purpose of the construction is to strengthen the building itself, in case of any earth movement.
Boyter also said that the third, fourth, and fifth floors have been completed, but the first and second floors remain to be finished.
Gramoll Construction, a Salt Lake based company, is doing the renovation.
“They are a great contractor,” Boyter said. “They are the same ones who did the WSC, and the same ones who installed our sprinkling system two years ago.”
Boyter said that the only major noticeable change to take place with the building is with the windows. The current windows are single-pane, and the new ones will be thermal pane.
“The double-pane glass will reduce the transfer of energy in the building,” he said. “It will help keep the building cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter.”
