The Wallis Annenberg Hall is an 88,000 square-foot, $150 million academic building comprised of a five-level steel and concrete structure located on the University of Southern California campus. The new building, which opened in late 2014, is home of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, leading in a new era of digital media education, communication and production.
AWCI member The Raymond Group, headquartered in Orange, Calif., was contracted by Bernards Bros. Inc. to perform the exterior and interior wall and ceiling metal framing, sheathing (50,000 square feet), drywall (400,000 square feet), taping, fireproofing (40,000 square feet), veneer and portland cement plaster (10,000 square feet) and the Vogl acoustical panels, as well as install a green screen for the state-of-the-art facility. The Collegiate Gothic style building features flexibility to accommodate future innovations in communication technologies, with a traditional façade blending in with the existing campus structures.
The project job site was logistically challenging due to tight quarters and close proximity to existing structures and students. General contractor Bernard Bros., Inc. did a great job of managing subcontractors, according to Raymond, making sure extreme caution and open communication were exercised throughout the project.
Lean scheduling of construction tasks and durations was implemented. A tight schedule and a push to open the building for occupancy was the main driving factor. The USC campus continues to grow and become more popular as new buildings like Annenberg are built, opening more avenues and resources for higher learning.
With a lot of changes to the project that extended the schedule and increased the contract value substantially, Raymond’s quality of work did not diminish and their scope of work was performed and completed on budget.
The modern interior design of the building is complemented with the “old school” brick and precast exterior, helping to shape the overall building into a state-of-the-art facility. The interior (full of sound walls and rooms, studios, etc.) serves the intent as a building for sound arts and communication, broadcasting, and television. While the exterior stands out from the surrounding structures, it fits USC’s motif and complements the campus well.
“Fly through” a rendering of the new building here: http://vimeo.com/83331077.
