There have been several new and continuing changes to our campus in the recent months. In addition to the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center building, which is expected to be completed this fall, there have been some substantial changes to academic, athletic, dining and residential buildings on campus. According to Claude Rounds, vice president for administration, there are several projects underway that range from a few months of work to a multi-year effort.
One of the more well-known long-term projects, EMPAC, is in the final stretch of construction. Rounds anticipates getting a certificate of occupancy along with substantial completion of the building in June of this year. Furnishing and fitting of the building with performance technology should continue until its anticipated opening in early October.
Other updates to academic facilities include the renovation of the Carnegie Hall classrooms, with a focus on improving the general conditions of the rooms as well as evaluating the incorporation of technology in the rooms. There has also been some preemptive work on the Low Center exterior as there was a concern about the long term life of the bricks. This concern was due to some evidence of brick failure and, while the solution to this problem is still in the planning stage, Rounds expects that this will be a multi-year project. There have also been some updates of undergraduate labs used by the Schools of Science and Engineering. These renovations started last year in the Jonsson Engineering Center with around six labs, with more updates expected this year. New equipment, including microscopes, will be provided for biology labs. Lastly, restoration work will continue in West Hall.
Students also might have noticed that there has been construction around the Russell Sage Dining Hall. The project includes putting a roughly 4,000-square-foot addition to the building in order to increase dining and service space. The addition will increase the capacity from its limit of 130 to 300 people. Rounds expects that the entire dining experience will be improved by the addition, which is expected to be ready for Fall 2008.
In addition to the academic and dining facility updates, construction is well under way for the latest addition to campus athletic facilities, the East Campus Athletic Village. Phase I of the ECAV construction, which includes new basketball courts, an artificial turf field, and renovations to the Houston Field House, is in progress, and, according to Rounds, “We continue to stay on the schedule for having Phase I of the project completed in September of 2009.” In addition to the new basketball courts and artificial turf field, there will also be renovations and updates made to the Houston Field House. These updates are still in the design process. Rounds states that they are in the middle of the engineering process in order to reduce construction costs. Phase II of the project, which includes a natatorium, indoor track, eight tennis courts, and various landscaping and parking improvements, is not included in the funding plan for Phase I.
As part of the continuing renovation of existing residence halls, this summer the Sharp Residence Hall will undergo a complete renovation of its interior, which includes putting in new bathroom facilities, lighting improvements, maintenance work, updated safety systems, and new doors. When it is completed, Rounds expects that the results will be very similar in quality to some of the other halls redone in the past few years. There will not be any substantial change to the configuration of the hall, though there will be some new lounge and study areas incorporated in the design. The work will start after Commencement. In addition, Rounds expects that renovations of the Best Western Rensselaer Inn will be completed by Spring 2009, with students occupying it in August 2009. Although a private developer will be completing the renovations, RPI will be operating and maintaining the building once it opens for student use.
