preparing granite veneer phase of Ballentine Hall project
$10.6 million building project on schedule, on budget
KINGSTON, R.I. — April 18, 2002 — Workers have nearly finished the exterior drywall installation for the 10,000-square-foot addition to Ballentine Hall and masons are preparing to start installation of the granite veneer on Monday.
The $10.6 million transformation of the home of the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business Administration is on schedule and on budget, according to Raymond Carroll, the project manager in the University’s office of capital projects.
With about 20 workers on the site at the northwest corner of the Quadrangle each day and good weather aiding their efforts, Carroll said University officials are extremely pleased with the building’s progress. “People are getting excited as they see unique features of the building come together,” Carroll said. “Once the granite starts going up, people will start getting a feel for how this building is going to look.”
The veneer will match the buildings on the campus Quadrangle. The exterior studding is in progress on the third floor of the original structure, and work has begun on the stairwells.
“We are getting more excited as each day brings us closer to re-occupying Ballentine Hall,” said Edward Mazze dean of the College of Business Administration and the Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Inc. Leadership Chair in Business. “The College has hired four new faculty members for the next academic year. There is no doubt in my mind that one of the reasons they are coming to the University of Rhode Island is our new building.”
Site preparation work for the addition’s foundation and underground utilities began in July, and demolition began Nov. 1. Steel framework for the new wing of Ballentine Hall was completed in January.
The $10.6 million project is being funded by $5.6 million in private donations raised through the University’s Shareholders Campaign, with $5 million coming from Rhode Island bond issues and URI asset protection funds.
The aluminum frame and glass have been installed for the top of the atrium, and demolition of the original 46,750-square-foot structure built in 1967 is substantially complete.
Now, staging rises on all four sides and above the third floor of the building in preparation for the masonry work. Each section of granite veneer weighs about 160 pounds. In addition, work is under way on the new tiered classroom in the addition.
A little less noticeable is the initiation of rough mechanical work, including ductwork, piping, sprinklers and electrical wiring.
The three-story Ballentine Hall has been stripped to its steel frame and floor slabs, and will be transformed into a state-of-the art facility.
The atrium will be named in honor of Alfred J. Verrecchia, URI class of 1967, holder of an MBA from URI, and president and chief operating officer of Hasbro Inc. Hasbro and Verrecchia donated a combined $1.5 million to support the building campaign and to endow the first chair in the college.
Carroll said Berkshire Construction Services of East Greenwich is the general contractor and is performing the demolition work.
For more information or digital images call Dave Lavallee, 401-874-2116.