Campus construction continues

The Penn campus is no stranger to construction, and both new and returning students will find this academic year to be no exception.

Construction on Harnwell College House was completed over the summer, making Harnwell the last of the three high rises to undergo renovation.

"What we did in Harnwell this year was more informed by what we did in Hamilton and Harrison," Senior Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said of the improvements.

As with the renovation of Hamilton and Harrison college houses, the exterior of Harnwell was redone, as were the common lobby spaces.

Wharton junior Danny Hernandez, who lived in Harnwell last year, noticed the difference when he arrived on campus.

"Last year, it was a little bit depressing moving in without the renovation," he said. "This year it's a lot nicer."

Still, Hernandez said that there were still problems with the elevators. On Monday, "one stopped on every floor," he said. However, Hernandez thinks that the renovations overall are a big improvement.

"The lobby is significantly better than it was before," he said.

In addition to the changes in the common areas, improvements were made to the interiors of student apartments on the top two and bottom two floors of the high rise, Blaik said.

Blaik said he wants to see if there is "a demonstrative difference ‹¨« in the quality of life" due to the improvement of the kitchenettes and bathrooms of these apartments.

If so, he hopes to institute a four- to five-year plan focusing on the interiors of the apartments in all three high-rise buildings. The work would be completed during future summers.

Another part of the Harnwell project will include work on the intersection of 39th Street and Locust Walk, an area Blaik described as "one of the most brutal, cold urban spaces."

The improvements to the intersection will include a built-in bench and a large planter holding tall trees. Blaik said he hopes this will form a barrier against the strong winds that sweep through the area during the winter months.

The alterations will be implemented this fall. Blaik hopes that the effects will be visible by late winter or early spring.

In addition, work on Bennett Hall, home of the English Department, is set to be complete in December. The building, located at 34th and Walnut streets, is undergoing $20.9 million worth of renovations, which were originally set to be completed in August. The improved structure will be renamed Fisher-Bennett Hall.

Bennett Hall will be "a beautiful new space for students and faculty," Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rebecca Bushnell said. "The renovation is going to be spectacular."

Bushnell, who is also an English professor, hopes that Bennett Hall will be seen as "a symbol of the strength of the School of Arts and Sciences and humanities at Penn."

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies building, located next to Hill College House, is set to be completed this October. The $5.2 million, 10,000-square-foot building will be the Center's first permanent home since its creation in 1978.

Plans are also in the works for a new home for the Annenberg Public Policy Center, which will be constructed at 36th Street and Locust Walk -- the former site of the Hillel center. An architect will be selected in the next few weeks, and officials expect a design to be formulated by November.

Blaik described this decision as part of the effort to bring back "core academic activity ‹¨« to the physical core of campus." As yet, there is no projected date for the completion of the center.

The Life Sciences building to be located behind the Biology Pond is set be be completed this November or December.

Skirkanich Hall, the new bioengineering building, will be open by late spring. The building is named for Peter Skirkanich, a Penn trustee who donated $10 million for the $42.2 million project.

The School of Veterinary Medicine will have a new building by next fall. The $70.7 million project includes the reconfiguration of the intersection of 38th Street and Baltimore Avenue and other roads in the immediate vicinity.

Ideas are also being discussed for a Center for Advanced Medical Studies. Plans are to be presented at the University Board of Trustees when it meets in June.

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