Summer construction projects to include Harrison, Skirkanich

Over the summer, seven campus buildings will continue on their path toward renovation or redesign.

Revamp operations are scheduled to continue for the Life Sciences Building, Skirkanich Hall, Williams Hall, Harrison College House, the Hajoca building, the new School of Veterinary Medicine building -- along with its adjacent intersection -- and the building at 121 S. 31st St.

Facilities and Real Estate Services has not announced whether new works are scheduled to begin this summer and did not return calls for further inquiries.

Officials said the $60 million construction works for the Life Sciences Building are on schedule and will reach completion in 2005. The Biology Department's new home will be located next to the BioPond.

"Constructions are still going on," School of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean David Balamuth said. "The building is phase one of two. For the second project -- another building -- there is no schedule yet. The funding has not yet been identified," Balamuth said. "For phase two, the site is now occupied by buildings that need to be torn down. At completion, the building will house the Psychology Department."

Balamuth added that this proximity between the two life science departments will allow for closer collaboration.

Another project that favors the physical as well as intellectual closeness between both departments and schools is the construction of Skirkanich Hall.

The building will connect with the Towne and Moore buildings and form the Engineering Quadrangle with Levine Hall. Its proximity to the School of Medicine also adds to its ability to enhance interdisciplinary teaching.

Planned to reach completion in January 2006, the $42 million project is located on 33rd Street where the Pender Laboratory was located and will house the Bioengineering Department, the fastest growing discipline within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Another teaching facility that has been receiving much attention since last summer is Williams Hall, home of many of the language departments.

"We will reach completion by May," School of Arts and Sciences Finance and Administration Vice Dean Ramin Sedehi said.

Now that all renovations concerning the inside heating-ventilating system as well as the windows have been completed, the departments of Romance Languages, Germanic Languages, Asian-American Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and the African Studies Program will return to the building in a few weeks. These departments have been temporarily scattered across campus, including in locations on Market Street.

At the moment, the final cosmetic touches, such as carpeting, are being added, and the scaffolds will soon be taken down.

Sedehi said that "there is still work to be done in the summer around the new metal guards outside the windows. For this additional work, we will have to wait for supplies to come in. We started a few months ago, and we will be done in the next month or two."

The extra renovations fall within the building's revamp budget of $3.5 million.

Windows are an issue in the renovation of another building on campus, Harrison College House, which is being revamped to closely resemble renovations completed last summer on Hamilton College House.

The $26.5 million plan foresees the replacement of the building's windows, as well as renovations to the front entrance, the rooftop lounge and the three floors of the building's communal space -- the ground floor, the lobby level and the first floor. The furniture in all rooms will be replaced, and the walls will be repainted.

While this first phase will be completed in time for move-in in August, the second part of the project will include new landscaping that is scheduled to continue into the fall semester.

Another project that will carry on in the fall will be the renovation of the Hajoca building -- located at 31st and Walnut streets -- which plans to officially open its doors to on-campus radio station WXPN and the World Cafe Live music venue on Oct. 1.

"We are still on schedule," WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay said. "We just had a hugely successful fundraising campaign. Now we have $1.8 million additional funds, and we are a few thousand dollars short of our goal" of $4 million.

A successful fundraising campaign has also characterized the construction of the new Vet School building, which will include much-needed teaching and research facilities. Located at 38th Street and Baltimore Avenue, the building is scheduled to be completed by August 2006.

A $54 million budget will fund both the new building and redesign work of the intersection between Baltimore, University and Woodland avenues, and 38th and 39th streets.

The University and the city of Philadelphia announced plans to reconfigure and reconstruct this area to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Vet School officials said that this new building will allow for veterinarians to share knowledge and research space with the Medical School, thus contributing to the further development of common interests.

However, the Medical School is still in need of more research space. Plans for the creation of new research facilities at 121 S. 31st St. are currently under way.

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