These days, a walk to class means weaving around chainlink fences, ditches and bulldozers. The construction projects that now riddle Brown's campus will transform the face of College Hill. Here, The Herald provides an update on their progress.
The Walk
The much-touted Walk, a pathway linking Pembroke campus and the main campus, will begin to take shape between Angell and Waterman streets on Sept. 24. Michael McCormick, assistant vice president for planning, design and construction, said this first section of the Walk, a $1 million project, will be complete by winter, though the trees that are to line the Walk will probably not be planted until spring. Other parts of the Walk, such as the section between Angell and Olive streets, will be built at the same time as the new buildings that will line the Walk. The latter part, called the "north green," is slated for completion in fall 2010.
Also due for completion in October are a number of general campus improvements, including new lighting on the Main Green, new signs across campus and new landscaping, McCormick said.
Urban Environmental Lab
Though the UEL's location has not yet been affected by the construction projects, it will soon be threatened by thebrain sciences building tentatively planned for that space. Plans for the building, which could hold the psychology and cognitive sciences and linguistics departments, are in flux, and the future of the UEL remains unclear.
"It was originally part of the master plan that (the UEL's location) might be a building site, so we knew that building might be moved or demolished," said Stephen Maiorisi, vice president for Facilities Management. "There are a few ideas on the table but nothing at this point is solidified, so it would be premature to say what solutions might be."
Temporary Swim Center
Due to the demise of the Smith Swim Center last winter, the University is currently constructing a temporary swimming pool behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center. The $3.8 million temporary pool will be completed and ready for use by the second semester of this year and is expected to remain in place for at least three years, Maiorisi said. A new permanent pool building has not yet been approved, but will likely cost around $25 million, according to Maiorisi.
J. Walter Wilson
The J. Walter Wilson building will house student resources such as the mail room, registrar's office, Writing Center, Brown Card Office, Rose Writing Fellows program, College Venture, academic resource center, chaplains' office and Psychological Services, according to the Building Brown Web site. The project originally had a $15 million projected budget, but the renovation plans have now expanded to include the building's fourth floor. If the new $18 million plans are approved at the Corporation meeting in October, construction to renovate the former laboratory will begin soon afterwards, Maiorisi said.
Peter Green House
The history department's previous home, the Peter Green House, is undergoing renovations slated to be complete in January 2008, according to Facilities Management. The total project budget for the Peter Green House is roughly $4 million, including the cost of the move and the renovation, though most of that money is going towards exterior renovations and the construction of office space on the basement level.
Pembroke Hall
Pembroke Hall will see its $10 million interior and exterior renovation project start within weeks. The new space will house the Cogut Center for Humanities and the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women. Mairoisi said the project has already been approved, is on budget and on schedule.
Utilities
The utilities renewal effort comprises four individual projects - new pipes for the high temperature hot water distribution system, new transformers and switches for the electrical system, the addition of two chilling plants for the air conditioning system and upgrades to the Central Heat Plant on Lloyd Avenue. The $41 million first phase of the utilities project, which focuses on linking the central heat plant on Lloyd Street to J. Walter Wilson, will be complete by summer 2008. But the work on the project will pause in October and remain on hold through the winter while the campus heating system is in use. Maorisi esimates that the second phase, which will extend farther south on campus and include the chilled water capacity, will cost about $30 million, though it has not been approved yet.
