Department of Building Construction to hold grand opening of Bishop-Favrao Hall
The Department of Building Construction, in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, jointly with the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, will celebrate the grand opening of Bishop-Favrao Hall on Thursday, May 1. The new facility houses both the Department of Building Construction and the Myers-Lawson School of Construction.
Grand opening
- 8 to 11:30 a.m., Building Construction Capstone and Integrated Studio Presentations
- 5 to 6 p.m., Student-Guided Tours
- 6 to 8:30 p.m., Reception with live music throughout the building
- 7 to 8 p.m., Grand Opening Program
The building is an educational tool
The structural elements that are usually hidden behind walls and ceiling panels in other buildings are exposed and labeled in Bishop-Favrao Hall. Students can clearly see the structures they are studying in use. The building’s labs dominates the first floor and will soon feature state-of-the-art equipment including fabrication machines such as a laser cutter, a virtual construction and prototyping lab, and a workshop for building assemblies.
The building echoes the department’s philosophy that the student comes first. Every floor of the building is set up so the students have an open, central space — whether it’s studio space, computer café-type space, or shop space — surrounded by faculty whose offices have windows that face the students on one side and show views of the Brush Mountain range and campus on the other side.
History of the department
The Department of Building Construction has been granting degrees since the 1940s, but this is its first dedicated home.
Funding for Bishop-Favrao Hall
Key funding for the building was donated by Richard Bishop, of Florida, a building construction alumnus. His lead gift, and significant contributions from alumni and industry, provided $5.75 million in private funding for the building. The commonwealth provided an additional $3.55 million. Bishop, the retired founder of Columbia Builders, requested the hall include the name of William A. Favrao. Favrao founded the building construction program in 1947 and chaired it until his death in 1977.
For more information
- For more information about Bishop-Favrao Hall or the Department of Building Construction, contact Walid Thabet at (540) 818-4604.
- For more information about the grand opening, contact Dannette Gomez Beane, the department’s coordinator for outreach and career development, at (540) 231-1924.
