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Campus construction continues on many fronts
The North Green Steam and condensate line replacement continues on The North Green. Steam lines carry heat to the buildings on campus, and the condensate lines carry water back to the main central heating plant where it is reused. The lines being replaced are about 40 years old and serve central, north and west campus. While there are no lane restrictions at present, sidewalks on both sides of East Delaware Avenue in the vicinity of The Green are closed. The project is on schedule for completion by Friday, Aug. 27. Center for the Arts Construction of the new Center for the Arts located just south of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building, which began in mid-June, continues. Four UD-owned houses at 182, 188, 192 and 198 Orchard Rd. were demolished to make way for the center. The sidewalk is closed on the west side of Orchard Road between the site of the former UD-owned houses and the entrance to the gated lot. Foundation and site utility work for the Center for the Arts has begun. The new center will include a recital hall, orchestra rehearsal hall and proscenium theatre, as well as theatre rehearsal space and music practice rooms. As currently designed, the building is projected to cost $42 million. Half that amount has been raised, with Unidel, MBNA, Wilhemina Press Thompson and Willard Hackerman heading the list of donors. If funding permits, a major concert hall also will be added. The architect is Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore.
Work continues on the construction of the new 715-car parking garage off Elkton Road. The foundation for the parking garage has been laid, and component precast concrete panels are being installed. Construction on the $12.4 million structure is proceeding on schedule, with the parking garage scheduled to open in February. There are no current lane restrictions in the area. A gated section of the Orchard Road parking lot remains in use until construction of the new parking garage is completed. A 15-space gold-parking lot built on the site of the former Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, at the corner of Orchard Road and West Delaware Avenue, opened for use on Friday, July 9. Laird Campus Residence Hall Complex The $72 million project will replace the motel-style Pencader residence halls on the Laird Campus. Three modern residence halls will feature architecture and landscaping patterned after The Green. Concrete work on the north end of the construction site and underground utility work is in progress, and waterproofing at concrete walls and masonry work at stairwells has begun. Construction of the first (north) building, including excavation of the foundation of the 509-bed residence hall began in May and is scheduled for completion in August 2005. Existing residence halls Pencader A-H, as well as Commons I and II, are scheduled for demolition in June 2005, after which construction on the two south buildings, each with 250 beds, will begin. Completion of the two buildings is scheduled for Aug. 2006. Demolition of the Pencader J-M and Commons III is slated for June 2006. Recreation courts and athletic fields, including a sand volleyball and tennis court, as well as two basketball courts, have been moved to the east side of the ring road that encircles the area leading to Christiana Towers. A pedestrian bridge connecting the area to the Ray Street Residence Hall Complex is scheduled for construction in two phases during the summers of 2005 and 2006. Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore is the architect.
Foreign Languages and Literatures headquarters Nonstructural interior demolition is in progress on the two former fraternity houses near Elliott and Mechanical halls. The buildings were acquired by the University and will be joined by a central structure and renovated to serve as the headquarters for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The building is designed to house 60 faculty offices, a language laboratory and conference space. Anderson, Brown, Higley Associates of Wilmington is the architect. The cost and completion date are to be determined. Brown Laboratory renovations A 72,000-square-foot renovation project for the north and west wings of Brown Laboratory, located on The Green, is in the planning stage. The building, named in memory of H. Fletcher Brown, UD benefactor and member the Board of Trustees from 1929-44, was constructed in 1937 and houses the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “State-of-the-art facilities are necessary to instruct the next generation of scientists and to retain and attract outstanding scholars to the faculty,” Charles G. Riordan, chairperson of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said. ”The discipline is changing at an incredible rate, and infrastructure, in terms of buildings, equipment and personnel, need to be reflective of the rapid pace of growth and discovery. The renovations seek to incorporate great flexibility to permit the department to respond efficiently to new opportunities in research and instruction.” Mitchell Hall repainting Interior painting in the auditorium, lobby and northeast and southeast stairways in Mitchell Hall is in progress. New carpet also will be installed in the auditorium.
Repairs are being made to the north and west exterior stairs at Kent Hall and Kent Dining Hall. A new ramp to improve access for those with disabilities is being installed on the South Green side of Kent Hall. Completion is expected by the end of the summer. The removal of asphalt pathways and the installation of brick pavers in the vicinity of Morris Library continue. Three additional pathways in the area are scheduled for completion this summer. Other construction projects Other construction projects in the planning and/or design stages include:
Non-UD construction Road-resurfacing projects for three major thoroughfares in the city of Newark are scheduled for completion before students return to UD on Saturday, Aug. 28. They include:
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