Everything gets more difficult when temperatures reach sub-zero levels, as they have this week, and on-campus construction is no exception.
Sampson Construction Co., the construction company that has been working on the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, plans to work through the winter. The construction of the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts is the second of a two-phase process that the state has undergone in order to invest in the arts in Wyoming.
Plans of not stopping for the winter season should allow the construction company to get finished on time, however, it will be a major inconvenience for some of the students and faculty members at UW.
Maty Cameron, a freshman at UW double majoring in musical theatre and computer science with an emphasis in business, has experienced the problems of this construction.
“The temperatures in the building vary like crazy. One time, we had to have class outside because the classroom we were in was like 85-90 degrees and unbearable,” Cameron said. “Sometimes, it’s so cold in the building you don’t want to take your heavy coat off.”
The temperature fluctuation and sound pollution are not going to get better until the project is completed, which should be in March 2015.
While the temperatures might continue to fluctuate during the construction, Sampson Construction is confident that it will complete the construction on time..
Sampson Construction Project Leader Thad Lienemann said that the project is on track.
“The new building additions are progressing well and scheduled for completion early this spring with site work activities finishing up prior to summer.”
Sampson Construction Co. has done year-round construction for the past 62 years and believes that it is well-equipped to work through the winter efficiently.
“Fortunately we are in the final phases of the Performing Arts project and the majority of the remaining work is interior finishes and fit-out which will allow us minimal disruptions that may be caused by the winter conditions,” Lienemann said.
The company still has a few exterior activities to complete that will be done this winter, along with some site work activities scheduled for completion next spring.
The construction on the Performing Arts Building consists of renovating 120,000 gross square feet in the existing building and adding on 50,000 square feet of new construction. The state of Wyoming has invested close to $70 million into the two-phases for the arts. The first phase was the $33 million, 79,000 square foot Visual Arts Center that opened two years ago, in 2012.
