UB's plans to improve the university's overall appearance this fall include the remodeling of O'Brian Hall and the completion of the new Alfiero Center for the School of Management next to Park Hall.
According to Gordon Love, manager of construction services and facilities planning and design for University Facilities, the ubiquitous slanted brick wall exterior of O'Brian Hall that overlooks the Spine has recently been removed.
"In May we noticed some courses of brick protruding from the wall, and we feared it would fail and that the brick would slide right off," Love said.
Love said the problem is common with masonry, and dampness could have slipped through any cracks and gotten underneath the bricks. When winter comes, the dampness expands into ice and pushes on the bricks, and it is possible that the slope of the wall would have made it easier for water to sneak into the crevices.
Currently, University Facilities officials are looking into different types of molding to replace the brick, Love said.
"Some people want artwork or a projecting image on the wall -- maybe student artwork or something UB-related -- possibly something from the sports teams," Love said. "We want to put something that can be adapted. People would like to see something to change with the times."
According to Love, University Facilities officials will have an overall idea for the wall within the next few weeks and have the design finalized by December. Love said they would like to have the wall replaced by May 2005.
The newest addition to the School of Management, the Alfiero Center, is another large renovation project in the hands of University Facilities.
Larry Michael, assistant dean for the School of Management, said officials anticipate the building's opening by late winter or early spring 2005.
"It is hard to pinpoint when it will be finished because there could be delays or there could be things to help us get ahead of schedule," Michael said.
Presently, contractors are still working on the exterior of the building. According to Michael, there are three steps to constructing the outer wall of the building -- a pre-cast layer, a metal support layer, and placing the glass on the northeastern wall of the center.
The contractors are in the midst of putting up the metal, and the glass panels will be placed in time for the winter months, Michael said.
When finished, the Alfiero Center will include three new classrooms, the Undergraduate Advisement Office, the Graduate MBA and Ph.D. Admission and Advisement Office, and Career Placement Services.
There will also be rooms for business-related student clubs, in addition to 14 study rooms available for group projects.
Binoy George, a senior economics major, said he was impressed with the plans for the center.
"The Alfiero Center is a great success both architecturally, as well as advancing the pursuit of higher education," George said.
