2008 Woodie Awards
Darwin renovation heading down home stretch
Nick Ramirez, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: News
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Christopher Dinno, Interim Senior Director of Capital Planning, Design, and Construction, was expecting a lot of surprises during the demolition involving the removal of hazardous materials from the 35-year-old building. Still, everything went according to plan, and the remodel is nearing completion on budget and ahead of schedule. That was something, he said, you don't normally see.
"This project could not have gone any smoother. From planning to execution, this contract has just run beautifully," Dinno said. "The project is on budget and ahead of time."
As the remodel nears completion, all classrooms and labs are being refurbished with new computers, equipment, and furniture as Darwin Hall makes its transformation into one of the most state-of-the-art buildings on campus.
"Just getting four walls will be nice again." Brigitte Lahme, Assistant Professor of the Mathematics Department said from the temporary offices. "Getting a key to the building will be a happy day."
The passage of Proposition 47 in 2002 and Proposition 55 in 2004 provided $29.5 million for the renovation of Darwin Hall. New and updated chemistry labs, geology labs, and a cadaver autopsy room will make Darwin a center of science and technology. Money from Group Two is financing three computer labs for the computer science department.
According to Ali Kooshesh, Associate Professor of the Computer Science Department, one lab will have approximately 29 workstations and two will have approximately 23 workstations.
"The new machines we are going to buy are going to be 64-bit machines, and they're going to be very efficient, very fast," said Kooshesh.