Students rushing to classes in the Annenberg School for Communication will continue to take the long way around the building.
Due to be unveiled during the first days of this month, the ASC plaza's facelift is not expected to be completed until the end of the semester.
The delay is part of a normal construction schedule, and is mostly due to the "limited time frame" that was originally allocated to the project, ASC Dean Michael Delli Carpini said.
Delays were mainly caused by an error on the material manufacturer's part.
"Technical issues of compatibility [of materials] were addressed beforehand... but on the field it was discovered they are not compatible," Managing Director of Design and Construction Management Mark Wilson said.
He added that the confusion -- noted in August -- set the whole project back by three weeks.
"We are moving as fast as we can," Wilson said, adding that completion is now set for the beginning of December.
However, the Annenberg Foundation -- which is providing the majority of the $3 million for the renovation -- will not be charged for this delay.
"All this change is fully being borne by the responsible project parties -- no additional funding will be required," Wilson said.
Aside from these concerns, Delli Carpini said that inclement weather conditions were also to blame for the delay.
He added that construction operations seem to be "in pretty good shape."
Less than five years after the last Annenberg renovation, the new remodeling began over the summer after an evaluation of the plaza's general conditions. Particular attention was given to the paving and the waterproofing membrane that protects the four classrooms located below the plaza.
Constructed 20 years ago with the day's state-of-the-art technology, this membrane has never failed to protect the classrooms below.
However, since renovations had already been scheduled for the current academic year, administrators decided to rebuild the member as a prevention against possible wear-and-tear accidents.
To complete these operations, the first layer of granite paving was taken off, and subsequently repositioned and remortared.
Wilson said the plaza's new look will also include planters, tables and chairs, as well as additional lighting.
Most students, however, are not disturbed by the delay, especially because the area is not one that many cross on a daily basis.
"It really does not affect me," College senior Maya Martin said. "But it seems that a little too much is going on," she added, referring to the many ongoing construction projects taking place around campus.
