After Clark Hall consistently was ranked as one of the buildings on Grounds in most disrepair, the building will undergo major renovations and gain a new four-story wing as part of a three-year construction project scheduled to start this summer.
The new space will be used primarily for research facilities for the environmental sciences department. Both wet and dry research laboratories as well as computing facilities will occupy the four floors.
The construction also will improve conditions within the Science and Engineering Library, which is housed in Clark. A new reading room, complete with comfortable seating, study tables, skylights and fireplaces will be available for students, said Sandra S. Kerbel, director of Science and Engineering Libraries.
"Clark Hall has never had a major renovation since it was built in the 30s," said Assoc. Environmental Sciences Department Chairman David E. Smith, noting that this is the first time the environmental sciences department has been able to design its own research facilities.
The addition will eliminate a nearby parking lot now used by faculty and staff who work in the surrounding area.
Project Manager Chris M. Willis said about $350,000 of the project's budget will be turned over to the Department of Parking and Transportation Services to create new parking facilities, most likely a parking garage.
"As the University uses up all its horizontal parking space it is trying to replace it with vertical space," Willis said.
After workers complete construction of the new wing, which will take 18 months, they will start renovating Clark Hall, which originally was built as the University's main Law school building.
Renovations will include installing central air conditioning, replacing the current heating system, adding sprinklers throughout and generally making the building more accessible," Willis said.
"We are trying to disrupt students and faculty as little as possible," Willis said. Officials will use summers for construction to help minimize disruption.
He said students and faculty will be able to move out of the current building and into the new wing before the headaches of renovation begin.
The whole project is slated to end in the spring of 2003.
Total costs for the project are estimated at almost $30 million, with $20 million coming from the Commonwealth and the final $10 million from private donor Paul Tudor Jones.
Smith said Jones donated the funds stipulating that the University would match it with $10 million toward environmental sciences programming.
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