Red walls, chain-link gates, detours. For schools the size of the University, construction is both visible and necessary and in many areas, the University is outgrowing its buildings.
Several projects which began this academic year will continue into the fall, which years of fundraising and strategic planning have made possible. Varsity Hall was moved successfully, but the Rouss Hall expansion still is in its early stages. Rouss Hall will expand to the east and will become the new site for the Commerce School. The project costs $50 million and is scheduled to be completed in late 2007, according to the Commerce School Web site.
Construction of the John Paul Jones arena officially began in 2003 and is scheduled to be completed in 2006, according to the Facilities Management Web site.
The new arena will hold approximately 15,000 seats and will be used primarily for basketball games. The project costs approximately $130 million, according to the Web site of the Office of the Architect.
The South Lawn project has been in the works for over five years and includes several extensive steps. Under this plan, Central Grounds will extend past Jefferson Park Ave. and along Brandon Ave. Over the next few years, new classroom buildings for the College will be built south of New Cabell Hall. New Cabell Hall is scheduled to be demolished in the next decade. Internal renovations of Rouss Hall and Cocke Hall also are part of the project. This year, workers removed asbestos and completely gutted the two buildings.
The Engineering School is constructing a new classroom building, Wilsdorf Hall, which is slated for completion in 2006 and will house nanotechnology and chemical engineering laboratories.
Third-year Engineering School student Mansij Hans said he is impressed by the speed of construction and has been only mildly inconvenienced by the work.
"The only difference is that you have to take a more roundabout path to get to Engineer's Way from the Chemistry Building," Hans said.
Long-term plans also are in place for the overhaul of the Alderman Road dormitories and the creation of a new arts center at the intersection of Emmet St. and University Ave.
Several construction projects at the University have been delayed. The Emmet St. pedestrian bridge opened this spring, connecting the University Hall area with the Lambeth Field Apartments. The idea for the bridge was conceived in 2001, but weather and structural concerns did not allow it to open until 2005, according to the Facilities Management Web site.
The Observatory Hill Dining Hall project also encountered delays. While it originally was scheduled to open as early as last fall, the building failed to pass some minor inspections. As a result, several parts of the interior had to be reworked, and the grand opening is slated for the fall.
The new building will have an approximate area of 62,000 square feet, according to the Facilities Management Web site. The project budget is $22 million, according to the Web site of the Office of the Architect.
Assistant Director of Accommodations D. Cole Spencer said he has not received complaints about construction from students, but visiting parents commented about the dust around the Observatory Hill site.
"Some minor headaches come along with construction in progress, but I think people understand that after a while," Spencer said.
Touch-ups and less visible changes to the University's landscape also fall into the sphere of construction. Peabody Hall, home of the Office of Admission, underwent repainting and window work. A thorough analysis of the Rotunda is planned as well, and several small renovations likely will happen in the building.
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