During the summer, construction on the new Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies was the most apparent construction project taking place on campus. According to Vice President for Administration Claude Rounds, though, there were actually over 100 different construction projects going on. While Rounds confirmed that 70 percent of the projects identified at the start of the summer have been completed, several are still underway.
The major ongoing projects on campus include completing the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. After two years of construction, the new Biotechnology Center is almost ready for faculty to move in. Construction on eMPAC building is planned to last three and half years. Other estimated project lengths “range from a couple of weeks to six months,” stated Rounds.
Over the summer, many of the residence halls underwent renovations. Warren Hall was refurbished and new furniture was added to the rooms. New windows were added to Stackwyck and the kitchens in Stackwyck and the Rensselaer Apartment Housing Projects were redone. Renovations are still in progress in the graduate housing located at 901 Peoples Avenue.
Along with all of the major construction going on throughout campus are a plethora of smaller projects. Among the more than 100 projects that took place over the summer was the reconstruction of the intersection at 15th Street and Sage Avenue, which according to Rounds was “something that we thought was very important.” Renovations to the Commons Dining Hall were also completed, converting the area to an “outside common place.” Improvements to exterior lighting on the core and east campus were also made.
Construction projects associated with the sports facilities have also been a main priority. Over the sum mer, the roof to the Robison Pool was replaced around the skylight. The pool filter, and the hockey and dasher boards at the Houston Field House were also replaced. New artificial turf was added to Harkness Field and the track was resurfaced.
The second phase of renovations to Academy Hall is also underway. Once the building is ready, almost all of the student services will be located here. According to Rounds, by the end of the winter semester break, the registrar, bursar, and financial aid office will be housed in Academy Hall. “At that point, we will truly have a student life services center located under one roof,” commented Rounds. Plans for the building which is currently the financial aid office have not been made as of yet.
Across the street from Academy Hall, on the corner of 15th Street and College Avenue, renovations are being planned for the former t-shirt shop. This building, now RPI property, will be turned into a coffee house for students. “We think that will be well supported by the students,” Rounds stated. Construction is planned to begin after the winter break.
Rounds indicated that RPI has been employing a long list of private contractors to do the renovations around campus, and by hiring so many contractors, the Institute is creating a “substantial opportunity to support the economy of the region.”
