Construction crews at Highland Phase 2 and Rio Grande campuses have been hard at work this summer to make progress on the sites.

Highland Campus Phase 2 construction
By: Pamela Collier, ACC Highland Phase 2 Project Manager

August was another busy month of construction at Highland Campus. The chilled water pipes were flushed and a portion of the building now has conditioned air. Interior finishes are progressing. The ceiling grid and light fixtures are beginning to be installed. The glass handrails at the floor openings are being installed. Wall and floor tile have begun. Door frames and hollow metal window frames, as well as glass, continue to be installed. The concrete floors in certain areas have been ground smooth and will be polished. The kitchen hoods are installed in the Culinary area. Meanwhile, the interior southern portion of the building is framed and infrastructure is nearly complete.

Rio Grande Campus renovations
By: Paul Mason, Rio Grande Renovation Project Manager

All the major flat slab reinforced concrete floors have been poured up to Level 3 in the core of the building. The shoring and formwork was removed last week. The concrete shaft walls for the two elevators have been erected to the roof and topped out. Next week, a large crane will be set up in the courtyard next to the Annex and it will begin lifting steel into the remaining hole in the building to erect structural steel framing for an infilled area approximately 120' x 50' going from Level 0 all the way up to the penthouse that sits above Level 3. The base columns in Level 0 have already been set.

Brick repair and cleaning of the ornamental cast stone continues in both atriums. Rough-in of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing and electrical in-wall continues on Levels 2 and 3. The last of the structural steel infill at roof level has been erected to patch the remaining holes around the perimeter of the building. On the east side, all the window openings have been roughed in with wood blocking and are prepared to receive new windows, which are currently in production and arriving on-site in about a month. The emergency generator concrete foundation pad next to RGC 3000 will be formed and poured next week.

The roof drain tie-ins below grade have been completed at Level 0/1 on the east and west side of the building. The storm sewer trenching, line placement, and backfill has been completed. The storm sewer conveys all the water collected from the roof and carries it to the City of Austin's storm drains in the street. A storm pipe tie-in under West Ave. is being trenched, laid, and backfilled this week and part of next. A street closure is required and will be done in two phases, one lane at a time to keep traffic flowing while work happens.