Tutor- Saliba Corporation: Ronald Tutor Campus Center, USC JANUARY 10 www. bus- ex. com 173

174 www. bus- ex. com JANUARY 10 then constructed on the site. Once completed, the new center will enhance the community life for students and alumni for many years to come and will be a fitting complement to the university's elite status. The concept for the Ronald Tutor Campus Center has been long in the planning. Designed by architect AC Martin Partners, the new building will occupy an area between the Gwynn Wilson Student Union building and the Trojan Bookstore and provide a coherent design scheme for both structures. The project was given a boost in 2007 when Ronald Tutor- a former student and alumnus, a trustee of the university, and a parent with three children who have spent their student years there- pledged a donation of $ 30 million for the project. Tutor is president and CEO of Tutor- Saliba Corporation, one of the largest heavy construction companies in the United States. And it is to Tutor- Saliba that responsibility for delivering the $ 102 million, 151,000- square- foot center has fallen. The work was given the official Notice to Proceed on May 17, 2008, and has progressed smoothly with very few substantial delays. Maintaining schedules, however, has been one of the major challenges facing Tutor- Saliba throughout the project, as the site lies in the middle of the busy student campus. From the beginning of the project the construction schedules were arranged around the ongoing academic work of the university, in an attempt to cause as little disruption as possible. Much of the utility work and cladding the building with brick, stone and glass, for example, was completed during the summer months when there were fewer students on site. During term time, the company also liaised closely with the university to schedule important elements of the work to the academic calendar. For example, during final exams heavy construction work was halted so that there would be no disruption from noise and vibration. Considerable attention has also been given to scheduling and managing the delivery of construction materials. By maintaining traffic patterns the company has managed to reduce delays and congestion on the access routes so that students, faculty and services experience minimal delay, particularly during heavy traffic periods in the morning and afternoon when students and staff are arriving and leaving. The work is on schedule and should reach completion by June 2010, with an official opening in September 2010. Architecturally, the new center is a fitting reflection of the status of USC. The vision behind its design is to enable students from across the campus and from around the world to learn, work and socialize. At its heart lies a grand central outdoor space known as International Plaza. Located at the center of the campus and designed to provide plenty of space for gathering