Renovations to the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law Building at the University of Windsor were supposed to get underway this summer. That’s now no longer the case, says faculty dean Christopher Waters.

In a recent announcement, Waters said the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a change in schedule to the construction project. The government-mandated temporary shut down of construction work on academic facilities delayed the university’s ability to renovate the temporary quarters its law faculty was to use while the Ianni building was being renovated.

The delay has caused the construction schedule to be pushed back by six months. Construction on the Ianni building is now expected to start in January, and will last for approximately two years.

Waters called the delay, “manageable and relatively brief in the grand scheme of things.”

The university now plans to vacate the space at the Ianni building in two stages in an effort to minimize disruption on the students during the fall semester while also respecting physical distancing guidelines. It will move its law library to the Leddy Library during the summer, while the rest of the Faculty of Law will move to temporary quarters at the end of the Fall 2020 term.

The Transforming Windsor Law building project will see a $25-million renovation to the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law Building. The goal of the project is to meet the future needs of the Faculty of Law. Precise construction details are not available, but a university steering committee has developed a series of guiding principles by which designers Diamond Schmitt Architects will be expected to abide. These include:

• increasing usable building space to support dynamic teaching, research, experiential learning and service,
• designing flexible and multi-purpose spaces that are forward-looking and open to change,
• connecting the building to local Indigenous peoples, the physical environment, heritage and communities, and
• promoting environmental sustainability, health and well-being.

Meanwhile, work on another major construction project at the university—the Lancer Sport and Recreation Centre—is back on track.

Work on the site was suspended in April when the provincial government stopped all but the most essential construction work. The project resumed on May 4 after the province expanded its list of essential works to include those in the academic sector.

The construction team, which is being led by EllisDon, is taking what steps it can to recover the lost time.

The recreation centre—which features a triple gym, seating for 2,500 spectators, a new 25-metre pool and a 13,000 square foot fitness area—was scheduled for a 2021 completion date.