With air conditioning, common rooms and wide, open windows, the new Living and Learning Commons building is a breath of fresh air on campus. It was opened to first-year students this year.
Construction started on May 11, according to Construction Clerk Colin Burdick, who is in charge of overseeing the residence hall. The demolition of the Tisdale apartments that previously resided in that area, made room for the new building. “Pile driving began June 16 [2015]…we had to remove buildings in order to build that one” said Burdick.
The construction of the LLC went very smoothly Carley alluded. Associate Director for Facilities and Business, James Carley, said there were “only some little hiccups despite the really, really tight time crunch.”
In addition, on top of the AC and social perks, the building offers an amazing view, according to Carley. “If you stand in the hub, there is a great view of downtown,” he said, “especially in the winter when the leaves fall”.
Carley said students were happy with the overall outcome of the LLC. He said, “I think students really like it…there is still some little things that need fixing, and obviously the landscaping isn’t quite ready yet, but I am absolutely happy with it.”
However, despite any minuscule issues, Burdick said the construction team was still able to move students in one time.
On top of the successful construction process, Carley said, “They [the construction team] were able to stay under budget [since] construction was around $30 million.” The original budget was $35 million.
Colleen Bates, a first-year student who lives in Carle, says that “I wanted to live in the LLC, but didn’t have a major picked out, so I didn’t know where I would fit in.” She said that the air conditioning would be nice to have, as it gets hot and stuffy in Carle.
KSC first-year Juliet Karam, lives in the LLC and said her “favorite thing about it is definitely the AC. It feels so nice after walking around campus on a hot day.” Karam is also one of many students in the LLC who has a single room. While that may seem like a lonely circumstance for a first year to find themselves in, Karam said people on her floor are kind and welcoming.
Resident Director for LLC Jeffrey Sawyer said, “There are always students sitting out in the main hubs all hours of the day. If I was a first year student, I would absolutely want to live here.”
Burdick offered a similar perspective. “I am overall happy with the outcome. In a perfect world, we would be completely finished by now. But in the end, we were able to move students in on time without any major building pieces missing.”
Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com
