USC Annenberg faculty, staff and students have been anxiously awaiting the completion of the new state-of-the-art, five story home of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism for the better part of a year now.
In the past nine months, Wallis Annenberg Hall has been transformed from blueprints to scaffolding to an imposing, 88,000 square foot Gothic-style building set to open in Fall 2014, as illustrated in these recent photos by Brett Van Ort.
With just over 60 days remaining until its grand opening, here are some of the latest exciting developments at Wallis Annenberg Hall, courtesy of ASCJ Facilities and Technologies team member Joel Zink, who has been keeping a Building Updates Blog throughout the construction:
May 19-20: Shrubbery is planted along Child's Way, and the broadcast areas of the new building are soundproofed. At this point, the outdoor patio has been developed, the building's exterior has been finished, and to the relief of many students, Watt Way has been reopened. May 22: The media center's "halo" of televisions are installed. "The halo sits over the assignment desk and includes two rows of TVs that provide 360 degree views for those working in the media center on both the first and second floors. The process of lifting, centering, and then securing the TVs took several people, ladders, and a man lift," according to Zink. June 10: The Annenberg Cafe nears completion. Says Zink: "The cafe will be the first permanent food venue for Annenberg. In the existing Annnberg building the only food service is the Annenberg Coffee Cart in the lobby. The new cafe will be managed by USC Hospitality Services and provide a larger selection."
June 12: Classroom A/V systems are installed. According to Zink, "When completed, each classroom and A/V equipped meeting space will have it’s own custom A/V system that includes a touch sensitive interface panel, digital TV feeds, wired and wireless laptop and mobile device connectivity, and depending on the size of the room, single/dual projectors or large LCD screens." June 16: Classroom and office furniture has begun to be configured and installed. June 18: Crews are adding splashes of color to the mostly white new lobby with brightly colored LED panels. There will also be colored window treatments and wood panelling to break up the white interior.
