The final piece of steel was lifted high and placed on the uppermost tip of the building on the University of Oklahoma campus Thursday.
The action signified the approximate halfway point in the renovation and construction of Gould Hall, the architecture building on the South Oval.
"Very few schools these days are able to build a new college," Architecture Dean Charles Graham said. The renovation and construction will provide an excellent new home for the College of Architecture's faculty, staff and students, he said.
Architecture studios, classrooms and offices were moved to the old Hobby Lobby building on Main Street in summer 2008. The College of Architecture will move back into a hardly recognizable Gould Hall in spring or summer 2011, Graham said.
The building will cost about $28 million to $32 million, he said. Bockus Payne and Associates is the architectural firm and Jace Paddleford is the project architect.
When finished in January 2011, Gould Hall will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, studios and student lounges, Graham said.
"We're going to employ furniture systems that no other school in the country will have," he said. "... The main goal of this, or object, is to bring 21st century learning technologies into the classroom."
The new building also will look good, which is a nice change for the college that many said ironically occupied the ugliest building on campus. At least Gould Hall was a regular building, however. Before the college moved to Gould in 1989, it was housed in the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, said Christina Hoehn, faculty member and point of contact on the construction project for the college.
The college faculty members have been able to have a lot of input into the design of the building, she said.
"Usually we don't get to have that input, but because we're an architecture school, we know how that works, so we were able to get involved," Hoehn said.
The college is made up of several disciplines, including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, regional and city planning and construction science. In the college's previous homes, the divisions were not able to be housed together in one building. That will change with the renovated Gould Hall, Graham said.
Construction workers, the design team, College of Architecture faculty members and representatives from OU's architectural and engineering services attended a topping off ceremony and lunch Thursday.
"This is a milestone we're celebrating because of all of you," said Kirk Mammen, Flintco project manager.
An evergreen tree, an American flag and a broom were placed on the final steel beam that was placed on the highest point in the building. The tree was a reference to the Nordic practice of conducting a rite to honor the tree after it was cut down for shelter, Mammen said. The flag represented American labor on the project and the broom represented a clean sweep, or no injuries on the job so far, he said.
Julianna Parker Jones 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com
Local news
OU's Gould Hall tops out
- Local news
-
-
Seed exchange planned
Every day brings spring a day closer, meaning it’s time to start thinking about and planting spring vegetable and flower gardens....
-
Newest library branch expected to open by month’s end
The city of Oklahoma City is currently working with equipment manufacturers to remedy last-minute obstacles that are keeping Pioneer Library System’s 10th branch closed to the public....
-
TEAM having positive results
The Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee elected Don Holyfield as the new chair and approved the annual report at its monthly meeting Thursday....
-
Union members protest GCI at new OU dorm site
Members of Carpenters Local Union No. 329 conducted a protest Thursday morning in front of the construction site of a new dormitory on the University of Oklahoma campus....
-
OK-FIRE workshop coming to Norman
A full-day OK-FIRE computer training workshop will be March 16 at the National Weather Center in Norman. Dr. J.D. Carlson, OSU fire meteorologist and OK-FIRE program director, will direct the workshop. Training will begin at 9:30 a.m. and ...
-
Wheelock receives Girl Scouts award
Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma presented Brenda Wheelock of Norman with the Frances Hesselbein Award at the organization’s recent annual meeting. The award is named for a woman who changed Girl Scouts of the United States of America when ...
-
Weed control is important in lawns
Did your lawn fall under attack from weeds last year? Do you want to get a head start on controlling them this year? Or maybe you are thinking about doing your own lawn care instead of hiring out? It seems that weed control is on ...
-
IRS launches outreach campaign to help workers
The Internal Revenue Service and community partners nationwide launched an annual outreach campaign this week. The campaign is aimed at helping millions of Americans who earned $49,078 or less take advantage of the Earned Income Tax ...
-
Men face counts including bribery
The Multi-County Grand Jury handed up indictments today against two former Blanchard city administrators. Former Blanchard city manager Bill D. Edwards and former police chief Tom M. Linn were indicted on two felony counts, including ...
-
Norman named best school district
Oklahoma Technology Association named Norman Public Schools as Best District of The Year for the 2011-2012 school year Wednesday morning at its annual conference in the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City....
- More Local news Headlines
-
Seed exchange planned
