Six simultaneous projects at Caltech underscore builder’s expertise in campus facilities
PASADENA, Calif. — March 20, 2012 — Already a leading builder of campus buildings and laboratories, C.W. Driver will make its mark on one of the world’s preeminent research institutions when it completes six simultaneous projects at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Managed by C.W. Driver’s independent company, Driver SPG, the construction projects include new biological labs and educational facilities on the campus. As a premier builder serving the Western U.S. since 1919, C.W. Driver has a deep understanding of Caltech’s ever-changing needs in the area of biotechnology research, as well as the need to preserve its historic architecture.
“C.W. Driver has been entrusted with updating the same facilities where some of the brightest minds in the world have taught,” said C.W. Driver Senior Vice President of Business Development Bob Maxwell. “As our team builds facilities that support the precise needs of today’s top biotechnology researchers and students, we take pride in our careful preservation of campus history.”
Driver SPG provides a competitive edge for performing work on a moment’s notice and adjusting to the specialized and evolving needs of the end user. At Caltech, a precise laboratory or state-of-the-art lecture hall – such as the recently completed remodel of the lecture hall where Richard Feynman delivered his seminal “Lectures on Physics” from 1961-1963 – must be delivered without interrupting campus operations or disturbing sensitive research.
“It comes down to understanding not only the project, but how it impacts the entire campus community,” said Karl Kreutziger, Driver SPG’s executive vice president, who pointed to one researcher’s use of mirrors and lasers valued at $3 million. “It’s essential that our work – even demolition –does not ruin an experiment or disrupt a lecture.”
The Driver SPG team was tasked with upgrading the facility to accommodate the growing needs for the campus and its students, yet protecting and embracing the historical significance of the university grounds. Including the remodeled lecture hall, Driver SPG will complete six projects during the current academic year. The following projects will be completed before the fall semester begins:
The Richard P. Feynman Lecture Hall
- 2,375-square-foot housing a 250-seat auditorium
- Remodel of the historic lecture hall where Richard P. Feynman delivered his “Lectures on Physics”
- One of C.W. Driver’s first projects on the campus
- Construction of the hall was completed in Sept. 2011
- Located on the second and third floors of the East Bridge building
“Wet Lab”
- Project was completed in Dec. 2011
- Located in the Beckman Institute basement
Arthur Amos Noyes Laboratory of Chemical Physics
- Remodel of student office space on the first floor
- Began construction in Jan. 2012 and is slated for completion in March 2012
- Located adjacent to an existing laser lab
New laboratory for an incoming Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
- Class 10,000 Clean Room
- New 1,100-square-foot laser laboratory
- Design-build with AC Martin
- Construction began in Feb. 2012 and is slated for completion in June 2012
- Located on the basement level of the Keck Building
New lab for a newly hired Assistant Professor of Aerospace
- Multi-phased project for a 650-square-foot laser lab
- Construction began in Jan. 2012 and is slated for completion in April 2012
- Located on the third floor of the Guggenheim building and approximately 250 square-feet in the basement of the Firestone building
New lab spaces for newly hired and long tenured Biology faculty
- Remodel of a biological facility includes 3,000 square-feet of lab space used for neuroscience experiments
- Design-build with Gensler Architects
- Began construction in Feb. 2012 and is slated for completion in July 2012
- Located in the subbasement and second floor of the Alles Building, and the second floor of the Kerckhoff building
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