OXFORD, Miss. – Rounds of winter weather that hit the Mid-South this year have pushed back the projected opening date for the new law school facility at the University of Mississippi.
UM law Dean Samuel M. Davis said 69 working days have been lost due to weather, over and above the seasonal averages normally provided in the construction contract. Despite the delays, work on the new facility is progressing quickly.
“Construction on the new home of the School of Law, the Robert C. Khayat Law Center, is going well,” he said. “The exterior form of the new building is now a clear landmark to those entering campus from the west along Coliseum Drive.”
The three-story, 130,000-square-foot building lacks the installation of some windows before being declared fully “in the dry,” Davis said. The roof of the building is complete, and the contractor is concentrating on interior work.
With a new completion date set for early October, the law school will be able to “rigorously commission” the new building in the form of building system tests, much like a new ship runs sea trials before being fully operational, Davis said.
The faculty and staff will begin moving into the new building in November and December, with classes set to begin there in January 2011.
“The design and construction team remains committed to the highest quality work,” Davis said. “When it is complete, the building will make a lasting and major contribution to the Ole Miss campus, both architecturally and academically.”
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