By Eli Haims

Construction will begin in Chalmers Hall after graduation to make room for the Head of Upper School’s office, which is currently located on the third floor of Seaver, Head of Campus Construction De Matte said. Head of Upper School Audrius Barzdukas and his assistant will occupy the space currently used by Dean Coordinators Camille De Santos and Ryan Wilson and Upper School Deans Vanna Cairns and Mike Bird.

The Chalmers construction will join the two other major construction projects on campus – the installation of a 50-meter pool and the building of the Kutler Center – in addition to major work being done on Coldwater Canyon.

Two new deans’ offices will be built in Chalmers West, adjacent to the offices used by Chaplain Father J. Young and Director of Student Affairs Jordan Church. The wall erected last summer to divide the Chalmers West lounge from the Chalmers East “Mini-Mudd” library will be knocked down soon after graduation, De Matte said. The offices of the dean coordinators will move to the Chalmers East stage where the librarians worked this year.

Yesterday, all of the components of the pool were due to arrive after being shipped through the Panama Canal from Italy and the pool should be framed within five to six days.

This type of pool, which is made of metal walls covered with PVC and then finished with a vinyl coating, was requested Barzdukas as it is supposed to allow swimmers to put up faster times.

De Matte said that the dimensions of this type of pool are laser certified, ensuring that it is exactly 50 meters.

“Oaks Christian built a 50-meter pool out of shotcrete,” De Matte said. “It’s too small, by about a half of an inch. They can’t do major competitions in it. It’s always a gamble with a shotcrete pool, there is no gamble with this. It’s a big, big deal for us.”

De Matte said that construction on Coldwater Canyon is not going to impede the pool work at all.

The pool and the Kutler Center are both on schedule to open in time for the 2012-2013 school year.

“We’re still looking to open up at the very end of August for the new year at this point,” De Matte said. “It’s going to be tight but we’re going to make it.”

The framing for the Kutler Center has been completed and work is being done on heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fire safety systems, in addition to dry walling.

Following graduation, preparations will begin to move the contents of “Mini-Mudd” back to the Seeley G. Mudd Library, which underwent an extensive renovation and remodel as part of the Kutler Center project.

For a gallery of the pool concrete pour, click here.