Although it’s been difficult to maneuver through the law school building this summer (due to construction barriers) and difficult to find an open entrance (due to construction fences), the contractors got a huge amount of work done in the last three months.  They finished digging the giant hole in the south courtyard and in the process removed 33,000 cubic yards of dirt, enough (we are told) to build a sidewalk from the law school to Lake Tahoe. They laid down waterproofing, installed the drainage system, and poured the first of three concrete slabs.  Next week they will be pouring the second layer of concrete. (This is more interesting to watch than it sounds.  Really.)

The West Terrace (complete with multi-colored pavers) is now finished and looks fabulous.  Folks began using the new umbrella tables minutes after they were installed, suggesting that we had a pent up demand for patio furniture.  It will be a while before the trees (Chinese Elms for those tree aficionado among you) can offer much shade, but they are holding their own since being transplanted in July. Contractors constructed a new (straight) staircase on the south west side of the building and installed a lot of new bike racks to the north west of Boalt Hall. They also put the finishing touches on the Student Center with the installation of the double paned, etched glass in all the offices (more about the Student Center next week).

There have been significant changes in the library as well.  The contractors finished framing up two new classrooms in the library’s old East Reading Room.  These classrooms won’t be ready for fall, but the new hallway and the east entrance to the library are now open (though carpeting is not yet installed).  Note that the bathrooms and small study rooms that used to be inside the library’s East Reading Room are now outside of the library.  We’ve also moved the night and weekend entrance to the law library.  After 6:00 PM and/or on weekends use the West Terrace entrance, take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor and enter the library through the West door (near the Dean’s Office).

As Bob Berring mentioned last week, we decided to move some classes out of Boalt to the Hearst Field Annex (HFA) in order to avoid noise disruptions to classes.  We were told that all these HFA classrooms had AC, but it turns out some only have ventilation fans.  We’ll bring in more fans to help keep the spaces comfortable on warm days.

This should be an interesting year…..