High rise renovations begin

The University recently entered the first stage of an $80 million project to renovate the high rises over the next several years by beginning construction on Hamilton College House.

This marks the first step of a two-year plan to renovate the interior and exterior of the building, after which the other two high rises will be tackled in a similar fashion.

Over the course of the summer, workers will be upgrading two of the building's four elevators, installing fire sprinklers in all student rooms and adding a new fire alarm system.

In addition, they will be repairing Hamilton House's exterior walls and landscaping areas surrounding the building.

According to Housing and Conference Services Director Douglas Berger, construction is going well thus far and most of it will be finished before students return to campus in September.

"The sprinkler, fire alarm and two of the four elevators should be done by mid August," Berger said. "The scaffolding on the side of the building will remain into November when they'll be done with all of the patching and chipping."

Although the most of the renovations taking place this summer will not be visible to passersby, there are a few improvements that will be evident relatively soon.

In mid-July, for example, workers will begin making a series of landscape changes just west of the building, including paving a path between Locust Walk and the corner of 40th and Walnut streets.

"What has now become the regular beaten [footpath] going to the new supermarket... will be the focus of most attention," College Houses and Academic Services Director David Brownlee said. "We will be creating a new formal diagonal path... following the footsteps that you see going through the bushes right now."

Changes in Hamilton House's facade will also become visible as workers patch the crumbling walls, pressure wash the building's surface and put a sealant over the concrete.

In particular, Brownlee noted that administrators and architects were investigating changing the color of the building's exterior during this process.

"One of the things we're expecting to be able to do as we coat the concrete is... to change the color of the building a little bit and maybe brighten it up," Brownlee said.

While the final shade of the building has yet to be determined, Brownlee said that planners are considering a wide range of possibilities.

"We want to make it bold enough that people will notice that something has happened without overstepping the boundary of good taste," Brownlee said.

Nevertheless, it won't be until after next summer's renovations that the major improvements to the building will be perceivable.

"This summer will be the more modest effect," Brownlee said. "Next summer we'll do things that will transform the building."

During the second stage of construction, administrators plan on replacing the furniture in students' rooms and upgrading the rest of the elevators.

In addition, the offices of both College Houses and Academic Services and Housing and Conference Services -- which now occupy the building's lower floors -- will be moved to a new location.

According to Brownlee, this vacant space will be converted into a new computer lab, study lounge, commissary area and exercise room.

Brownlee added that the outside of Hamilton House would be undergoing further changes as well.

"Next summer we will also be removing the exterior metal and glass part of the wall system," Brownlee said. "We're very interested in looking at ways that we can reorganize the patterns of glass and solvent there to create a more lively facade."

In February, the University Board of Trustees approved the first stage of the $80 million plan to renovate all three high rise dormitories in succession, with two summers spent on each.

This new plan sprouts from a 1998 proposal for a $380 million dormitory and dining overhaul which included the demolition of Stouffer Triangle and the construction of up to five new dormitories in Hamilton Village.

Due to financial setbacks, however, this plan faced significant delays, ultimately leading to the development of the current high rise renovation project.

As of yet, the $26.5 million that administrators estimated for Hamilton House's construction expenses has proven to be a fairly accurate prediction.

"We haven't discovered any conditions that are going to radically change any of the estimates," Brownlee said. "Of course, discoveries go in both directions -- some things turn out a little cheaper and some things come out a little more expensive."

He added that the decision to schedule construction for the summer -- which was based around the lack of housing that would result from shutting down a dormitory during the academic year -- has added to the cost of this project.

Regardless, Brownlee remained confident about completing this summer's renovations and the ones that will follow.

"You approach the end of the summer every year with some trepidation," Brownlee said. "But it's really worked extra well."

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