We thought it might be a good idea to let you know how the building project is going.  It has been pretty lonely around here.  Without the Bar Review courses being held here, the building is pretty quiet, but then it is all blocked off and filled with construction noise, so it is all for the best.  Here is the skinny.

The day after graduation our summer construction projects took off at full speed.  The contractors have almost finished digging the giant hole for the South Addition and will begin pouring the concrete shell for the new building in mid July.
During the first three weeks after graduation contractors tore out the stairs in front of the Student Center and installed a second layer of glass in the Center offices.  They are now installing the new pavers, lighting and planters on West Terrace.  The entrance on the north end of the West Terrace (near classrooms 12 and 14) is now open (though not yet wheelchair accessible). With a bit of luck the West Terrace and both entry doors will be open by the time school starts.   The West Terrace should be very fine indeed.
If you have been inside the school this summer  you will have noticed the various temporary walls that impede your progress through the building.  The south stair case near classrooms 100 and 105 was torn out and there is currently a serious wall that blocks off the hallway near these  classrooms.  The fire marshal required this temporary wall because he didn’t want folks trying to exit via the non-existent south staircase. The east entrance to the library  is also walled off, a result of our decision to transform the East Reading Room (the one past the Copy Center that has been our most remote province) into two 32 person classrooms.  Both these temporary walls should be gone by the time the new 1L class arrives on August 13.  If the stars align, the two new classrooms will be ready for the fall.
We’ll be updating the building website soon with more pictures: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/building/

Have a good summer!

BB