What cliche did you go with? “Windows to the world?” That was our first thought, too.

Construction crews began installing windows on March 1 on the south side of Schar Hall. This is the view from Lebanon Avenue, with crew members starting the installation process on the second floor, directly above the building’s dean suite.

After last week’s windy weather, which ripped away some of the metal sheets on the roof, the window installation is a pleasant sign of progress. Speaking of forward momentum, work on Steers Pavilion has amped up this week. A rough outline of the building’s foundation is visible in the image below.

Passersby of Schar Hall this morning likely noticed a new hue on the south-facing side of the building. Our construction crew applied a salmon – or is it Nantucket red? – spray-on sealant to the facility’s exterior wall. Not all buildings could pull off such a color in the winter, but it looks great on you, Schar Hall!

In preparation for the foundation of Snow Family Grand Atrium, the construction crew poured the footings for the two-story glass structure on Feb. 19. This is the view from Lebanon Avenue. For technology geeks out there, the atrium’s large video screen will be secured to the steel beams on the far right.

Thanks to Associate Professor Vic Costello for the image.

Anyone else envious of the construction worker’s view from the cupola? Us, too! With Schar Hall’s steel trusses in place, workers have started laying sheets of metal for the roof. Additionally, the building’s second floor seems to be getting more attention in recent days. The entire floor, sans the boardroom, has been covered up with insulation and the first layer of the exterior wall.

If one isn’t paying close attention, the communications expansion project – most notably the sites for Schar Hall and Steers Pavilion – seemingly changes overnight. It snuck past us at first, but the steel frame that will support Schar Hall’s cupola was installed this week (see the top right of the above photograph).

Additionally, crews cleared and prepped the site of Steers Pavilion (see below), which will sit adjacent to Whitley Auditorium. We should note that this is the first appearance of the pavilion on the blog!

Construction crews elevated Dwight C. Schar Hall on Feb. 4 to new heights, installing the first parts of the facility’s steel roof trusses. The crew members are working from west to east, beginning on the side closest to Williamson Avenue.

What’s the view look like standing on the second floor of Schar Hall? Are there any interior walls up yet? What’s the status of Turner Theatre?  These questions and more are answered in this 30-second video of the construction’s progress. Kudos to Bryan Baker, coordinator of sound and video projects, for the update!

The university might be on “fake break” – the popular name for the week between Winter Term and the start of the spring semester – but construction continues at the site of Schar Hall. On the morning of Jan. 29, concrete trucks returned to pour cement for the ceiling of the second floor.

Crews began preparing for the concrete trucks early that morning. Keren Rivas, assistant director of university communications for alumni communications, shared these two early morning photos.

To chronicle the progress of Dwight C. Schar Hall, a trio from the School of Communications toured the construction site on Jan. 28, 2016. Bryan Baker, coordinator of sound and video projects, and Vic Costello, associate professor of communications, filmed the construction while Tommy Kopetskie, communications manager, captured still photography. We can confirm two things: (1) the building is worth getting excited about, and (2) our boots got pretty muddy.

Want to see what the progress looks like beyond the safety fence? We have good news! We’ve uploaded a photo gallery on the school’s Flickr page with more than three dozen images. The school’s Instagram account also posted a short video of the main floor. Follow us on Instagram at eloncomm.

From the steps of Whitley Auditorium, passersby can see a glimpse into the future. While crews make visible progress on Dwight C. Schar Hall, Steers Pavilion – which will stand directly across from Whitley’s entrance – will soon begin to take shape as well. That’s if the snow stays away, so keep those fingers crossed!