Some more info about construction at Cornell (from the Ithaca Journal):
Ralph Feldhake, the technical coordinator in laboratory services, fills student drawers with glassware Tuesday as he gets an organic chemistry teaching lab in the new physical sciences building ready for the spring semester. (SIMON WHEELER / Staff
Faculty: Cornell construction for the better
By Rachel Stern •rstern@gannett.com • October 5, 2010, 7:20 pm
Joel Brock always feared the worst. Working more than 60 hours a week in a Cornell University laboratory, Brock, a professor of applied and engineering physics, knew an accident could happen at any time.
And he also knew the labs, built in the 1960s, were not ready for a mishap.
"There were certainly reliability problems," said Brock, who has been at Cornell for 21 years. "If there is an emergency, you would like to run through the lab and push the door open. In the old labs, the door pulled open."
In the new physical sciences building, set to officially open Nov. 18, the doors push open into a miniature vestibule to avoid hitting people in the hallway. The labs are bigger, cleaner, safer and, he added, prettier.
"Oh, gosh, it is so much nicer," Brock said. "We basically moved into a beautiful new lab from an old, crowded, dirty lab."
The $143 million project broke ground in 2008 and consists of 197,000 square feet. The basement, ground and first floors are occupied now, with construction ongoing on the second, third and fourth floors, facilities Director Todd Pfeiffer said.
The basement is mainly research labs, Pfeiffer said. The first floor is teaching labs for the three departments and a 120-student amphitheater. But the atrium, still under construction, is the highlight.
"It is my favorite part," Pfeiffer said. "It will be a central point for students and faculty to meet and gather. There will be a cafe and lots of study spots along the sides."
While this project is a perfect recruiting tool, said Brock, there is another mission.
"Accidental meetings and run-ins with colleagues in a different department," he said, "can lead to valuable collaboration."
The physical sciences building is not the only construction going on at Cornell. The College of Architecture, Art and Planning is getting a 47,000 square-foot addition. Construction on Paul Milstein Hall, a $52 million project, will be complete in August, said Aaron Goldweber, the college's director of communications.
Concrete was poured for the roof, skylights are complete and exterior glass was installed. The ground floor will be used for an auditorium, critique space and a gallery. The first floor will be used for studio space.
The project, which started in June 2009, is beyond the halfway point, Goldweber said, and will connect Sibley and Rand Halls.
"We are trying to create a mini-campus for AAP," he said. "The key part is connecting with existing buildings."
Here's a photo tour of some of the projects (from Simon Wheeler):
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps...0050803&Ref=PH