What’s going on at the Law School and its environs? I will do my best to give you an update, but don’t hold me to anything I say–things are constantly changing.
Let’s start with the Law School. After graduation in April, the university commenced two significant construction projects in our building that aren’t finished yet. First, an update on the bathrooms closest to the Student Commons. These restrooms were ripped out and redone. Mirrors have not been installed yet and some carpeting around the entrance needs to be replaced, but they are otherwise useable and are bright, shiny, and new.
The bigger project has been an upgrade to the HVAC systems that caused the closure of the first and fourth floor of the Law School. Library collections and carrels on the first floor (basement level) have been and continue to be unavailable. Faculty with offices on the fourth floor were relocated temporarily to study rooms in the library. Furniture from the fourth floor has been stored throughout the building, including in the Student Commons. The Help Desk (IT) is in the Rex E Lee Reading Room on the third floor of the library. Although crews are making progress on this project it isn’t finished yet, so unfortunately study rooms and basement carrels will continue to be unavailable for a while after the start of fall semester.
Study rooms. The fourth floor is nearing completion–we hope–barring the unforeseen circumstances that always seem to occur with construction. As soon as it is finished, faculty and the Help Desk will be relocated back to their offices on the fourth floor, freeing up the study rooms for student use. We hope study rooms will be available in October.
Basement carrels and library collections. The basement is going to take a little longer to finish than the fourth floor. We hope the basement will be accessible again by December for studying and access to the collections.
Music Building. The new Music Building is scheduled to be completed in November or December. Concerts are scheduled there for winter semester. The new building should be beautiful inside. I recommend attending an event there before you leave BYU to check it out.
Arts Building. Just when we thought it [parking] was going to get better around the Law School, the university announced the demolition of the Harris Fine Arts Building and the construction of a new arts building in its place. Parking near the HFAC is already being affected. Demolition is scheduled for later this fall after completion of the Music Building. The new building is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025, so most current law students will graduate before then. We will see how construction affects the surrounding areas on campus.
Thank you for your patience. We are doing our best with events that are out of our control. Hopefully the payoff will be a more functional, beautiful building and campus.