The first steps of the construction project that will reshape and reimagine George Mason’s Arlington Campus are scheduled to begin this week, weather permitting.
“This is the start of something big for Mason,” Carol Kissal, Mason’s senior vice president for administration and finance. “And when it’s done, it will have fundamentally changed our campus, as well as the broader Arlington community.”
The action won’t be dramatic at first, said Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities, but will ramp up over time, given that the scope of the $235 million renovation includes construction of an approximately 400,000-square-foot building on the site of the old Kann’s department store that will support Mason’s School of Computing and other innovative ecosystems.
Construction fencing will be reconfigured, primarily by the driveway of the FDIC building. There will also be some excavation for sheeting and shoring, and preparation of the site for the new building with relocation of an existing underground storm pipe.
A water line and electric line will be relocated, and drilling for “soldier beams” to support the sheeting and shoring will begin, perhaps later in the month, Pinskey said.
“There may be some noise. You may feel some vibrations,” Pinskey said. “But it’s all safe and done in compliance with rules and requirements. The reality is, the end result will be worth it.”