Ball State University's Communication and Media Building is in its final stage of construction and the target completion date is early April 2007, Jim Lowe, director of engineering and operations, said.
Construction workers are painting the walls and putting in ceiling tiles, Lowe said. They are working their way from the third floor to the first floor, installing lights and fuses, he said.
The construction process is going well, and there have not been any problems, he said. After the building is finished faculty from the Robert Bell Building will move to the Ball Communication so Robert Bell can be renovated, Lowe said.
The construction on Robert Bell should be complete in Fall 2007, Lowe said. The faculty will move during the summer, which will give them time to prepare for students, Roger Lavery, dean of the College of Communication, Information and Media, said.
"It'll give us time to get all the technology set up for the beginning of classes in August," he said.
New features in the Media BuildingThe Communication and Media Building will be the top of technology and architecture. Below are some of the major features.
FLOORSThe third floor of the building will have communication studies faculty offices; the second floor will contain the telecommunication professors' offices, classrooms and the WCRD studio and the first floor will have classrooms.
STUDIOSThe WCRD radio station crew will be able to record in larger, better-sounding rooms, Lavery said.The wooden walls in the recording studios are made from bamboo, Gary Canaday, construction manager for the university, said, which is a renewable resource. The two studios do not have any parallel walls, which prevents sounds from bouncing back and forth.
EXITThe former exit on the north side of the Robert Bell Building will be constructed so that it flows into the Communication and Media Building because it will no longer be an exit, Lowe said."An area next to the exit, which is classrooms, will be renovated to become larger classrooms," he said.
LECTURE HALLThe building will have a large lecture hall as well. The room will seat approximately 150 people, which is a slightly smaller than the lecture hall in the Art and Journalism Building, which is Room 175, Canaday said.Lavery said it would be used for guest speakers and large lecture classes. These rooms are in high demand because few lecture halls at Ball State that accommodate a lot of people, he said.Canaday said the lecture hall has bamboo walls and an acoustically sound ceiling to prevent echoes.
LEED CERTIFIEDThis will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified building on campus, which means it is environment-friendly. The building is setting the standard for Ball State buildings, he said.Ramps connect the buildings, and all ramp railings are made of glass to allow more light.Canaday said the building is made completely of organic, almost odor-free materials. Approximately 98 percent of the wasted materials are reused or recycled, he said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
