The demolition of the old Observatory Hill dining hall and the Treehouse this summer marks the beginning of an ambitious redevelopment of the Alderman Road area that is eventually slated to replace many of the suite style New Dorms.
The Board of Visitors approved concept, design and site guidelines for the first phase of the planned development of first-year dorms at their meeting which concluded earlier this month.
The first two new buildings are expected to be done by 2008, and will provide "swing space" to accommodate first-year students while construction is underway.
Two dorms that are currentlypart of the Hereford Residential College, Malone and Weedon, will also be converted to first year housing, according to University Chief Housing Officer Mark Doherty.
Work on the new Observatory Hill dining hall is expected to be completed in time for the start of school in August, according to Elizabeth Bowling, the senior project manager responsible for theconstruction.
The new facility represents a dramatic expansion from the building it replaces and will accommodate 1,500 students in the main dining area located on the upper two floors. Another 600 student-capacity space will open on the first floor which will house student seating, a convenience store, a Sbarro pizzeria and a sandwich shop. Additional seating will also be available outdoors. The original building had seating for just 660 students.
Until August, work will focus on removing the foundation of the old building which will give way to a flat, open area for first year students. Landscaping and seeding for that area will follow, Bowling said.
The University plans to make construction of new first-year dorms as unobtrusive as possible, especially given the scale of construction, said project manager Anna Towns.
"We're going to be sure that we don't interrupt the first-year experience of the classes that will be here while we're working," Towns said. "We'll be very careful to control that. We're doing very careful planning for pedestrians and traffic."
While preliminary plans call for the construction of hall-style dorms modeled after Woody and Cauthen dormitories completed in 1996, Doherty stressed that the University will look to students through surveys, focus groups and forums to develop the long-term plan.
"We're anticipating the return of students and certainly the direct incorporation of student input into the design of the facilities," Doherty said. "That opportunity has not been missed this summer."
A technical survey of the Alderman Road area and possible sites for construction focusing on the physical and utility platform of the area is currently underway.
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