CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the time of completion for Dineen Hall was misstated. The hall should be completed by  fall 2014. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

The new educational facility in the College of Law is currently under construction and on schedule to be completed by fall 2014. The facility will feature updated classroom technology and boast environmentally friendly energy.

Chuck Bucci, the assistant director of project administration at Syracuse University, said the exterior brick facade of Dineen Hall’s construction is complete and window installations are nearly 70 percent complete.

“We intend to have the building fully enclosed with either permanent or temporary finishes by the middle of November and we’ll be heating the building for the continuation of construction on the interior of the building,” Bucci said.

The Dineen family donated $15 million to fund the school’s new building in 2010, in honor of College of Law alumni Robert and Carolyn Dineen. The donation was the largest gift in the school’s history. Donations from other alumni will help pay for a focus on integration of technology as well as a much more open floor plan.

Rachel Bangser, a first-year criminal justice and psychology major and law ambassador, said the building’s addition helps the College of Law by allowing it to grow on campus. Bangser, who is already a tour guide for the school, said she will be one of many guides for Dineen Hall once it opens.

“One of the biggest issues at the College of Law presently is that it’s two different buildings and it’s only connected by the first and second floors,” Bangser said. “And that gets incredibly confusing for visitors and students alike, so actually having one building in its own separate area is going to be really nice.”

Joe Pellettiere, the construction site supervisor, noted that various parts of the construction were somewhat complicated to build, especially given the time constraints. He said some of the challenges in the process included glazing the glass and creating the rooms and walls, which he described as “time-consuming.”

“We feel what we have is kind of an accelerated schedule. It’s a short duration for such a large project,” Pellettiere said. “Architectural concrete has been challenging as well, but we’re just about done with those.”

But the project has remained relatively on schedule with its two-year construction plan, seeing very few complications, he added. In the next two to three months, the construction company hopes to begin completing interior finish work, installing large glass walls and creating individual spaces and offices, said Bucci, the assistant director of project administration.

Several new additions that students like Bangser are looking forward to include the third and fourth floor courtyard gardens, as well as a large reading room within the library.

“They’re going to have a killer reading room in the library. Like Hogwarts status minus the dragons and changing walls,” Bangser said. “That’s one of the biggest problems I have with our current library, there’s not a big area in which students can sort of congregate and have tables upon tables to read at.”

The building will also have environmentally conscious components. The building will use energy-efficient power and will use a storm-water collection system, Bucci said.

Bangser also said their new building would have a focus on technology — all lectures in Dineen Hall will be digitally recorded.

“By all intents and purposes, the face of law is changing,” she said. “The law school should be changing, too.”

Published on October 30, 2013 at 12:36 am

Contact Margaret: mglin@syr.edu