As doors plan to open next Fall, A&F’s Facilities Management and Development has been working hard to make sure the William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation is ready to go for Cal Poly students and faculty. A lot has happened since A&F last reported on the construction of the Frost Center so today, Inside Cal Poly gives you another look inside the Frost Center.
First, let’s quickly recap what we know about the Frost Center. The main goal of the new building is to create an interdisciplinary space for students of all studies. Specifically, this space will be a collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and Math and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The labs within the Frost Center will feature many large windows so that the public can get a glimpse of student research. Cal Poly is proud to offer many research opportunities for undergraduates and this building will definitely support the well-known “Learn by Doing” philosophy.
Speaking of Learn by Doing, let’s talk about some of the cool spaces that the Frost Center will host. There will be a green roof with space for planting in addition to opportunities for outdoor learning. Moving inside the building there will be a dedicated area for a culinary lab as well as a sensory lab for the Food Science and Nutrition department. These areas will allow students the unique chance to participate in some unique research, such as giving feedback on new foods and flavors.
Last but not least, the Frost Center received a generous donation from Jack and Felicia Cashin to put towards the College of Liberal Arts’ planned Expressive Technology Studios. This space will serve as an intersection of art, humanities and technology and home to Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies (LAES) students. The studio will feature a space for audio, visual and performing art production in addition to a theater art area and a black box space.
Even if your studies do not lie within these unique spaces the Frost Center will also feature a large sized classroom and lecture hall for general education courses. Lots of students will likely find themselves in the Frost Center!
In terms of external construction, the brick installation is underway, concrete work on north side is finished and all glass installation is finalized. On the inside of the building the dry wall is being put up, wood finishes are being situated and finishing edges are being put on the floors. Finally, lab furnishings and equipment are being to get installed.
Over the summer FMD will be testing all the systems and running all final inspections so that doors could be open in the fall! Check out our previous blog post about the Frost Center here https://inside.calpoly.edu/finalization-of-the-frost-center-on-the-horizon/ or you can visit he live feed of the construction site here for a more updated look: https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/frost-center/