Workers have encountered a "big spine of ledge" taking up approximately 7,000 cubic yards 2,000 cubic yards more than estimated by the project's consultants, Purcell said.
"We were estimating there were going to be about 5,000 cubic yards of granite ledge, and when we got in there, the ridge of the ledge had gone farther than we had expected," he said.
The consultants estimated the amount of ledge based on information collected by boring into the soil and taking core samples, according to Purcell.
The granite underneath the new foundation site and Clement Hall which was demolished to make way for the VAC is also "extremely hard," according to project manager Rick Jaros.
To ensure that the project is not delayed, the construction team is re-sequencing the construction schedule, Purcell said. The changes will have no financial impact on the project, he added. "This happens all the time with construction," Purcell said. "You re-sequence both the flow time that they have in their schedule and the way you overlap some of the other work projects. That way you can expedite other areas."
Work began on the VAC's foundation in Spring 2010. The first concrete pour took place on Wednesday, according to Jaros.
The construction team is currently engaged in "extensive planning and extensive purchasing" of subcontractors and materials, Purcell said.
Those involved with the construction including the architect and the Office of Planning, Design and Construction have made efforts to address the needs of the academic departments that will be housed in the new building, according to studio art professor Louise Hamlin.
"Some of our requests have been included in the final design of the building," Hamlin said.
When completed, the VAC will host the film and media studies department and the studio art department.
Jaros has also been providing members of both the studio art and film and media studies departments with regular updates on the project's progress, according to Hamlin.
Members of the studio art department are excited to leave their temporary facilities in Currier Place, according to Hamlin.
"The current plan is, we'll have classes there starting in September 2012," she said. "We're hoping to start moving our stuff over during that summer."
Construction of the building's foundation has also taken longer and been noisier than builders and project managers anticipated, Linda Snyder, vice president for campus planning and facilities, told The Dartmouth in August. Over the summer, several local business owners and employees working on Lebanon Street complained about noise and other inconveniences such as dust resulting from the construction.
The VAC, which was facilitated by an unprecedented anonymous $50 million donation to the College, was approved by the Hanover Planning Board in July 2009.
