Campus Center plan due out in January

Architects will complete their "master plan" of the area surrounding the future campus center in January, campus center planners said last week. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson said last week that the architects are working with a planning committee -- composed of about eight University Trustees and administrators -- to design the area from 34th to 38th streets between Walnut and Chestnut streets. Morrisson said the architectural firm, Kohn, Peterson and Fox, is working on designing both the space and how the space will work with other areas on campus. She added that the specific design of the campus center, to be named the Revlon Center, will not begin until after the master plan is completed. The vice provost said all the needs articulated in the campus center committee's 212-page report will be met, although they may be addressed by different buildings in the campus center area. Vice President for Facilities Arthur Gravina, who also serves on the committee, said this week that the committee members defined guidelines for the architects in their first meeting last month. He said they will address problems such as parking, the relationship between the buildings, open space and whether closing off or building a bridge over Walnut street would improve pedestrian access. The architects will also have to adhere to a $30 million limit on their planning of the center, Gravina said. The $30 million amount is the most the capital campaign can raise for the non-retail space in the center, officials have said. Gravina added that there have been no final decisions on which offices or resources will be in the Revlon Center and in the surrounding buildings. He also said that presently the architects are working with an overall square footage requirement, rather than defining which offices or resources should be in the campus center facility and which should be in the surrounding buildings.

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