HughesNews: A pre-holiday check-in

Stories | Dec 12, 2011 | Nicole Gesualdo

Many people associate December with putting up a Christmas tree in their home. In the Gabelli School of Business’s new home, Hughes Hall, construction workers are busily putting things up as well — but they’re dealing in durable black pipes and aluminum HVAC ductwork rather than in Fraser fir. Quite a bit has happened at Hughes since you last saw it here on GabelliConnect. Here’s a look inside.

What you see at left is the fifth floor, which will be segmented into faculty offices. Note the original structure’s brick and stone, which lies along the lower wall. Above that is wood — but that wood is only temporary. It eventually will be replaced with angled panels of glass that will form the building’s unique Mansard roof and give a greenhouse-like effect. These rooms will be among the most architecturally intriguing in the building, not to mention some of the airiest.

Moving down a floor, we arrive at the home of Dean Rapaccioli and her staff. In the photo at right, you’ll notice the iconic arch-topped windows. Offices here will be fortunate to have one or two of those apiece, lending them visual character. In the weeks since this picture was taken, construction crews have begun adding the metal framework that marks off each individual room, beginning with the areas along the exterior walls.

That framework is quite obvious in the pictures below, which are of the third floor. Walking around on 3, it is possible to get a good sense of the floor plan — and to envision the large classrooms, professional development center and global studies center that will occupy the space. The professional development center will look out toward Dealy Hall, while global studies will have a view of McGinley.

Some of the most interesting recent images of Hughes come to us from the cellar level, where earth-moving machines have created a scene that brings to mind Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel. (If any of you missed out on reading this as children, it’s highly recommended that you catch up now.)

As you can see, workers have carefully placed and connected the plumbing along the cellar floor, arranging connections where needed and tucking pipes securely into the dirt. Within the last week, they covered over most of what you see here by pouring the cellar’s concrete floor. The lower level was the last of the six tiers of Hughes to receive its layer of concrete.

Construction will continue throughout the winter, so watch for future posts on GabelliConnect!