This week marked the first major move toward the construction of the new Talley-a welcome change from the deconstruction of its previous structure.
Students and faculty on campus this summer will notice the placement of columns on the Talley site. According to TJ Willis, assistant director for the University student center, next week will be an exciting one in the project’s development.
“Not only will we have some walls poured, but this next week we should also see some columns poured,” Willis wrote in a release.
The schedule for the rest of summer construction involves a lot of concrete and foundational work, but there is some exciting news coming up, according to student body president Andy Walsh.
“There’s going to be an unveiling in fall of the dining venues, it’s going to be really cool,” Walsh said. “There are going to be a lot more visuals coming up on the horizon.”
Walsh returned from Chicago three weeks ago, where he and seven others went to NeoCon , a furniture exhibit.
“We were looking at furniture for today and for tomorrow,” Walsh said. “We really wanted top notch stuff because there’s so much money going into the facility.”
Walsh speaks at new student orientations every other day, and emphasized the role Talley will play in the student experience of the University’s incoming class.
“This is going to change the student life and experience on campus, and that’s not something I can say about Talley for me,” Walsh said. “I keep telling them that this place is going to be somewhere where they spend most of their time.”
To give students an opportunity to engage in the construction, Wolfpack Welcome Week will include a steel signing even on August 16 for students to literally leave their mark on the new Talley.
“Walking past the construction site, it’s really great to see all the changes,” Walsh said. “You can’t not be excited.”
For the curious who are not on campus, Willis recommends the live online feed of the construction process at http://go.ncsu.edu/ talleywebcam .
To get an idea of what Talley will look like in its completed state, the University has made a virtual tour available at http://web.ncsu.edu/ campusenterprises / talley /images.html.
The nine minute and fifteen second tour takes viewers from Talley’s entrance through its levels and rooms. Though it’s hard to get a feel for what the building will be like once filled with students and food vendors, Walsh is confident it will be a pleasant surprise.