Building Up Academic Success

As part of an ongoing campus expansion, St. Louis College of Pharmacy planned renovations to Jones Hall, a data center and classroom building. KAI was hired to provide general contracting for construction services.

The first phase involved creating a new IT server room with refrigeration piping that could support the move of the IT Department.

The next phase consisted of clearing the library and filling the existing stairs in order to create lab and classroom spaces. During this phase the faculty break room was relocated and expanded to the 5th floor.

The project involved more than a dozen subcontractors reconstructing 17,000 SF of library and office space into classrooms, physics laboratories, and study spaces. Timing presented a unique challenge. In order to maintain academic activities during the renovations, the project needed to be completed during the second shift, which meant crews wouldn’t begin their day until 3:30 in the afternoon.

The project finished a month ahead of schedule, which allowed faculty and staff to move into offices quickly and be prepared for the first day of classes. Students not only enjoy more space in Jones Hall, they now also have access to a 213,000 SF academic and research building and library.