Crews will begin to erect chain link fencing around the future home of the Tinkham Veale University Center today as they prepare to launch construction on the $50 million project later this summer. The 82,000-square-foot structure will be located just northwest of the university’s Kelvin Smith Library and southeast of the Peter B. Lewis Building, home of the Weatherhead School of Management.
As a result of this week’s site preparation work, pedestrians no longer will have access to the sidewalk that runs between Freiberger Field and Guilford House. They still will have access to the north-south sidewalk that runs parallel to the west side of Guilford, and the east-west walkway that is north of Thwing and Mather House and south of the Mather Dance Center. For these and future construction updates, please see case.edu/universitycenter. In addition, the university has installed a webcam on the top of the Kelvin Smith Library so anyone who would like can track the building’s project electronically. It can be accessed from the university center website or directly at case.edu/universitycenter/webcam/.
Last week the university celebrated the approaching start of construction with a formal groundbreaking ceremony that drew honored guests from as far away as Singapore. As part of the festivities, President Barbara R. Snyder announced that giving to date for Fiscal Year 2012 totaled $134.5 million, a figure that is more than $8 million higher than the previous year. The extraordinary support from alumni and friends means that the university has marked two consecutive years in which annual philanthropy totals set an all-time record. In addition, President Snyder noted that the total for Forward Thinking, the university’s capital campaign, was $713.7 million. This amount represents a gain of more than $50 million since the campaign’s public launch Oct. 13, 2011. To see a video that includes highlights of the event, please click here.
Planned to meet LEED Silver standards, the Tinkham Veale University Center will include meeting spaces, classrooms, dining areas and a 9,000-square-foot ballroom. The center will serve as the new home of more than 160 student organizations. As you can see in a virtual walkthrough here the building will feature soaring windows on all sides, as well as a green roof to absorb rainwater and enhance the sustainable nature of the construction.
Watch The Daily and case.edu/universitycenter for more news about the project, including an email subscription list where you can have updates delivered directly to your inbox.