Archive for May, 2008
Your Alter Blogger is Taking a Break
Friday, May 30th, 2008This will be my last post until June 17. I will be “on holiday” as they say in GB. I will catch you up (and me too) when I return.
Speakman Entrance Coming Down
Thursday, May 29th, 2008After removing steps and stones on the 13th Street entrance to Speakman Hall last week, workers have begun disassembling window panes one at a time. After removing one of the top panels, the lift descends and you can see that all the lower glass panels have been removed.
Speakman Glass Panels from John DeAngelo on Vimeo.
Now for the Metal Strips
Thursday, May 29th, 2008Yestersday you saw a membrane being applied to 2nd floor concrete floor (see below). Today they have begun laying the diamond pattern to be used for terrazzo floors in Speakman and Alter Halls.
Here you see both the blue grid lines and the first 3/8″ metal strips laid. By Monday marble chips in epoxy will fill the grid.
Terrazzo Prep
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008No, it’s not the name of an exclusive Italian boarding school, but a description of the processes used to prepare the concrete surface before epoxy terrazzo is laid in Speakman Hall. Terrazzo’s origins, however, are undeniably Italian. Venetian workers first used marble chips embedded in concrete from higher-end villa installations to build patios and public walkways. What is epoxy terrazzo? Its a process that embeds marble chips in a polymer (epoxy) to create a smooth, shiny, and durable finish for floors and walls.
(Below) After scoring the floor for adhesion, a thin membrane is rolled on to suppress cracks in the concrete sub-surface.
Glass Installed in “Bays”
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008One of the unique features of the Michael Graves-designed structure is the “bays” which protrude on the east and west sides of Alter Hall. Together with the mansard roof, they provide a 19th Century-inspired modernist touch.
Here you see a curtain wall of glass stopping at the 6th floor on the Liacouras side nearest Montgomery Avenue. If you look closely you can distinguish the shadow detail that defines the shallow bays. BTW, the office immediately below on Level 3 is mine. The one at the far right is the Dean’s.
Note: Thursday, May 22, all construction work in Speakman Hall and Alter Hall has stopped to celebrate Temple students and their families at Commencement.
“Dirty Jobs” Underway in Speakman Hall
Monday, May 19th, 2008Beginning May 16, demolition and construction crews were hard at work preparing the 1st and 2nd floors of Speakman Hall for new smart classrooms and terrazzo floors that will match finishes and technologies to be found in Alter Hall. Below is a quick slide tour of “abatement” to remove old floor tiles, temporary walls built to protect the interior during the demolition of two entrances, and “deconstruction” of Speakman classrooms.
Dirty Jobs Begin In Speakman from John DeAngelo on Vimeo.
13th Street Speakman Entrance To Close
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
Beginning Thursday, May 15, work on a new facade for the 13th Street entrance to Speakman Hall will begin, requiring that that the current entrance close for much of the summer. During construction you must use the handicapped entrance on the Northwest corner of Speakman Hall opposite Shusterman Hall.
The Liacouras Walk entrance facade will also be removed in the next 7-10 days, after which the handicapped entrance will be the only way to enter and exit the building.
All summer classes originally scheduled in Speakman have been moved to other buildings. Undergraduate enrollment, advising and honors have been temporarily relocated to the 4th floor of SAC II.
Meanwhile, Back in Speakman
Monday, May 12th, 2008Crews have finished removing tile from the 2nd and 1st floor corridors in preparation for laying terrazzo flooring on both levels, a process that is expected to take 8-10 weeks.
Another Building Tour
Saturday, May 10th, 2008This past Wednesday, a small group of us toured Alter Hall. Progress on all floors is substantial, with drywall completed in many spaces, and framing for classrooms, lecture halls and the auditorium sufficient enough to reflect the spaces they will soon become.
In the photo above, Fox Director of Computer Services Vik Singh shares notes with Special Events Coordinator Nancy Korotkin outside of one of the 15 undergraduate breakout rooms on the 2nd floor.
West Wall Revealed
Thursday, May 1st, 2008Some of the scaffolding on the lower three levels has come down on the Liacouras side of Alter Hall exposing recently completed brick work. Also pictured is the second floor undergraduate student lounge outside collaboration/breakout rooms, and a third floor area where several members of the Dean’s Office will reside.
John DeAngelo