Upon returning to campus for semester two, Anselmians can notice the continuation of the construction process for the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Grappone Hall. With noticeable progress to the building’s exterior, the college can expect interior and exterior construction to be completed on schedule for the estimated time of the building’s use next fall. 

Jonathan Woodcock, Director of Physical Plant, acts as the lead Project Manager for this project. Though the construction has made major headway in exterior construction, “we are currently working through final exterior construction,” Woodcock said. Last ‘touch ups’ are expected to be completed on the exterior, including the masonry work and glass installation, but “the cold weather has hampered the progress” on completing those elements, Woodcock said

Cold weather and harsh conditions remain inevitable for the college’s place in New England, “however,” Woodcock said, “this isn’t expected to impact the overall schedule.” While there have been minor delays in the building’s exterior construction, “we are still on schedule,” Woodcock said, and “the interior is moving along at the expected pace.” 

With the interior construction process well underway, “like many other construction projects, we have coordinated a top down approach,” Woodcock said. This approach means that “we started work on the third floor and have worked our way down,” Woodcock said. 

With this top down approach, “the third floor is nearly complete and we are currently installing flooring and painting walls,” Woodcock said. Currently, the second floor of the building is “receiving its first coat of paint and we are installing ceilings,” Woodcock added, and “we will begin to add flooring shortly.” 

“Lastly,” Woodcock said, “we are fitting up the first-floor utilities and support systems and will start to install dry-wall next week.” These soon-to-be underway processes are a major step in the completion of the building’s interior construction, and each step is expected to be completed on schedule. 

With the interior construction running smoothly and on time, the exterior’s construction is still underway, facing some weather challenges previously mentioned by Woodcock. Along with weather-related obstacles comes obstacles that can be faced with any construction project. “With a project of this size, you can always expect challenges along the way,” Woodcock said. 

“Since the pandemic, the construction industry has had supply chain issues, and ever escalating prices,” Woodcock said. The construction industry is no stranger to the many challenges and obstacles faced by companies and industries since the pandemic. 

In order to maintain the construction schedule and adapt to the challenges in the industry, “from the start of the project, we worked with our general contractor and subcontractors to identify long lead items and determine[d] when those items should be ordered to ensure timely delivery,” Woodcock said. Careful calculation goes into each step of the project, starting well before construction itself begins. 

Other potential obstacles to the construction are discussed prior to the commencement of the project, regardless of the project. “There are many obstacles that every project has to endure,” Woodcock said. “From the start of the project, potential issues are discussed and mitigation plans are developed,” Woodcock said. Careful consideration goes into the planning process, weighing possibilities of challenges and risks. 

Though thoughtful planning goes into the construction project, “it doesn’t ensure smooth sailing,” Woodcock said. External circumstances can always pop up and interfere with plans, and “there are many issues that can arise during construction including supply chain issues, skilled trade availability, conflicts of expected design, and actual field conditions, etc.” Woodcock said. 

Though challenges have been faced and potential issues are always taken into account, “we don’t see any foreseeable obstacles right now,” Woodcock said.

With exciting headway on both the interior and exterior construction on Grappone Hall, construction is on schedule and the team expects completion for the fall semester with expected occupancy for mid-to-late July.