Construction for the New Jamrich building continues as the structure begins to take form despite winter weather.

Associate Director of Engineering and Planning Jim Thams said construction has been going as planned and there have been no delays.

“We’re about 40 percent complete right now,” Thams said. “A majority of the block is up. We’re installing brick right now and we have exterior windows going in on the east side of the building. On the inside they’re constructing the steel for the stairwells. Steel studs are going up and in select areas there’s drywall going up.”

During the winter months , Thams said, construction will continue as heating and cooling pipes, electrical systems and panels begin to form and more work is done on the mechanical room.

“The building is being constructed essentially in thirds,” Thams said. “The far side, the middle and the side closest to Hedgcock. We started in the northernmost third, that side is by far the farthest side along. Within two or three weeks we should have temporary heat in that area. Once we get the temporary heat in there we can finish the drywall.”

Thams said the main focus will be getting the exterior finished before heavy snowfall.

“Our goal was to get the building dry by the middle of November,” Thams said. “We’re going to achieve that. By doing that we’re going to make all of that interior work possible.”

Director of Communications and Marketing Cindy Paavola said the university has been pleased with the construction.

“Everyone is on schedule,” Paavola said. “In some cases they’ve strived to make sure everything is enclosed before the snow starts to fall. We wanted to make sure everything was enclosed for the workers that will be working indoors in the winter months and it looks like that’s going to be possible.”

Paavola said the new building will make the campus more efficent for faculty and students.

“It will be a pretty exciting building because it will do everything we wanted had we moved along with the current Jamrich Hall, but it’s going to be so much more energy and space efficient,” Paavola said. “That’s really exciting because that’s money you don’t have to raise, or come up with, or take away from other things that could go towards the student experience.”

According to Paavola, there has been a positive response on the building from students.

“I think it’s really exciting,” Paavola said. “We’ve heard a lot of positive comments on how the building’s really taking shape and they’re starting to visualize what the building will look like because when it was just a bunch of steel framework they couldn’t necessarily get a grasp of how big it was or what some of the cool features were.”

Though there was debate over the new building, Paavola said that overall students realize that there will be some really dynamic features.

“One of them is the clock tower which is starting to take shape now that the building’s put together,” Paavola said.

“It will be a signature mark for us, as we have not had one of those on campus; so it will be exciting to have one for the facility. The clock tower will be lit at night and the lights will be shining green and gold.”

The construction estimated at fifteen months has run smoothly with no delays, Paavola said.

“At the university, we really thank all the construction workers,” Paavola said. “There are so many different people working through different companies and have done a great job at staying on schedule and taking care to make sure the building is put together well, quickly but safely.”

According to Thams the building construction will be finished for the Fall 2014 semester.

“Everything will be done,” Thams said. “Furniture moved in, building commissioned and all the classroom technology installed in August 2014.”