STUDENT UNION > RENOVATION > RENOVATION UPDATE
By now many of you have seen the press releases regarding the renovation delay. Please understand that even with the production and delivery problems with restroom floor tile and interior door frames that contractually we are very close to having a complete building. The rain has caused the substantive portion of the publicized delay. Delaying the opening and move-in to the new building is important for several reasons. Unless we can get a break from all of the recent rains, it is hard to plan exactly what areas of the concrete will be ready and until the concrete is done, there is no easy way to get people and furniture into the building without tracking mud and dirt into the brand new facility.
Another consideration involves the installation of audio visual (AV) and security equipment which should begin next week. To be sure the AV and security subcontractors have all the necessary access to the meeting rooms to ensure speedy completion of their work, USU Meeting Services has been requested to hold on the opening of the room reservation calendar for the new meeting rooms until June 1. The entire building and site work will very likely be done before then, (at which point we will open the calendar early), but holding until June 1 will give the AV subcontractor complete access to meeting rooms to get their portion of the project done.
Related to the site work, the rescheduling of the water shutdown to repair the broken domestic water line was in review for this Friday at 5:00 pm. Unfortunately, the plumber was not able to meet the aggressive schedule to complete chlorination of the new domestic water line prior to the Friday shutdown. Chlorinating the line kills bacteria and germs in the pipes and makes the lines safe to carry cooking and drinking water. Given the rain forecast over the weekend and the need to have the line chlorinated, the Contractor is looking at delaying the domestic water shutdown and tie-in until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Careful planning and coordination will need to happen for this shutdown given the Subway and Pub Sports Grille operate from 8:00am to 8:00am and 8:00am to 7:00pm respectively. As a reminder, when the shutdown does happen there will be no water in the Fitness Center locker rooms/restrooms, Pub, Subway, Mercantile, and southwest addition restrooms/kitchenettes however water and restrooms will be available throughout the rest of the facility. More information on the exact timing of the shutdown will be sent as it becomes available.
Restroom tile, interior door frames, and carpet installation continue. The pendant lights suspended from the areas with open ceilings are also being hung throughout the building. They will provide energy efficient lighting while simultaneously giving the areas with high (15 foot) ceilings a more natural sense of scale.
The heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) system will be air balanced on March 27 & 28. This involves using dampers to balance the amount of air that goes into each room with the amount of air that comes out of each room – which is quite complicated in a building this complex. To prevent dust from consistently coming into the building it helps to slightly pressurize the building – but only slightly. Doing this right will prevent doors from being held open or slammed shut from too much or too little air moving through the building. HVAC air balancing is also an important milestone as this process requires that all doors and windows be 100% installed and all dust be cleared from the building – read here: the building is 99% complete.
As always the Renovation Team strongly encourages any questions and suggestions that may benefit the project. Please direct inquiries to Jason Wang, Associate Director for Operations & Services at jason.wang@csun.edu or 818-677-6579. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to this email with the word “remove” in the subject line.
Respectfully,
Jason R. Wang
Associate Director, Operations & Services
University Student Union
California State University Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8272
Office: (818) 677-6579 Fax:
(818) 677-3615