A new feature started in January 2008 intended to provide periodic updates on the construction and opening of the new Student Recreation center planned to open during the 2009-2010 Academic Year.

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March 26, 2008 - Bottom of Pool is Up - Almost all ground floor done - In the last couple of weeks the building really seems to have been taken shape. The ground floor is essentially done and you can now actually get a sense of where the Outdoor Program office is. Standing in the Urban Plaza and seeing the corner of the office really made it hit home for me - students will finally have great access to this program. Also, now that they have started to go "up" - it feels like a building. If you look at the web-cam (http://www.webcams.pdx.edu) or walk by you will see that the ground floor for the pool has been laid and you can begin to see the rec center lobby. The classrooms and the admin suite should be laid in the next week or so. Finally, we are just getting ready to start the Oregon Art Commission 1% for Art process - Katy Asher, an MFA Social Practice unit student (http://socialpractices.blogspot.com/) will be the student representative.

Interesting fact of the week is that it has taken 5,000 yards of concrete to pour the ground floor.

March 10, 2008 - The Pool is Next - Sorry for the delay, I can't believe it has been over a month. The building is beginning to take form - although it reminds me that really we are still very early on. The basement is essentially finished in this stage and now the are starting to build up. Right now you can see the first elevator core being constructed and then right next to that will be the Outdoor Program, located in the main lobby. We are starting to talk about the pool and making sure that everything is ready to start that part of construction. Yes, the pool is on the 2nd floor. No, it will not leak or have any chance of spilling below. I am amazed at the detail that both the architects and our builders are capable of thinking through - layers and layers deeper than I am, that is for sure. Every inch of the building is thought through, including just where any water would go if there was a disaster.

We are also nearly done dealing with the interior color palette. Everything from lockers to paint to carpet is getting our attention.

January 29, 2008 - Concrete, Concrete - The world right now revolves around concrete. If you look at the construction site you can see that they are getting ready to "pour" the concrete on the big lobby and the main core of the building on the ground floor. Weather plays a big role here as the splatter from rain drops can really create a mess on this important part. An 8-hour window of no rain is needed and the outlook is for rain and more rain for the next week. We are also getting ready to make some final interior design choices this week as well - things like tile colors and paint accent colors and maybe the counter-top colors.

January 25, 2008-The First Part of the Rec Center is Concrete - We can finally begin to see the building taking form - sounds a bit dramatic, but now that the first floor is actually visible it is an exciting moment. The first component of the Rec Center has actually already been poured with concrete - our long-term storage in the basement! Not the coolest part of the building, but there is no turning back now. The first program space, the Outdoor Program, will have it's floor poured today if things go as planned.