Smith School Deans Tour North Wing Construction
$21-Million Van Munching Hall Addition Nears Completion

(l to r) Dean Howard Frank and Assistant Dean Christine Stewart toured the $21 Million North Wing addition on Aug. 31, led by Todd Fehd, Holder Construction project manager, and Larry Marcu, UM project manager.

Smith School Dean Howard Frank and Christine Stewart, assistant dean for administration, took a hard-hat tour through the North Wing construction site on Friday, Aug. 31. The $21-million, 38,000-square-foot wing of Van Munching Hall is nearing completion, with the crew shooting for a finish date in early October.

The smells of fresh paint and new carpeting permeated the expansive space. Dozens of construction workers were busy hanging fixtures, installing wiring, patching new walls and laying flooring inside the building while more workers bulldozed and installed a granite wall outside.

Dean Frank had the opportunity to see all four floors of the new addition, traveling between spaces in an unfinished elevator. He asked several questions about the new space and expressed satisfaction with how the work is progressing.

Much of the job left to be done is cosmetic — trim work, painting, fixtures, etc. — but it’s easy to see that the end result promises to be grand. An open atrium anchors the space, surrounded by four floors of classrooms, group work rooms, conference spaces and offices. One of the most exciting new spaces will be a great room, complete with two fireplaces, lounge-type seating areas and plasma screens.

The outdoor space is sure to impress, too. The crew is beginning to landscape the muddy area that has been fenced and crowded with construction equipment for the past year. School benefactor Robert Smith has already picked out some mature trees to be planted in what will be an attractive green space surrounding the new north entrance to the building.

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▓ Carrie Handwerker, Office of Marketing Communications