The lack of many students over the summer might lead some to believe that the University has been dormant for the past several months. However, the campus has been filled with various construction and renovation projects that have been revitalizing many of the buildings and areas around campus.
Students returning to school this fall will find construction has already begun on several new projects. Work on Skirkanich Hall, a new Engineering building located at 200 S. 33rd St., was started and is expected to be completed in August 2006, at a cost of approximately $42.2 million. The 58,000-square-foot building will form the new Engineering quadrangle, along with Levine Hall and the Towne and Moore buildings, according to Penn Facilities spokesman Tony Sorrentino.
Work has also been started on a new Life Sciences center on South University Avenue. The existing greenhouse was remodeled, and phase one of the project includes a new building for the Biology Department. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in August 2006. Project funding has come entirely from the School of Arts and Sciences.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has also seen some developments this summer with the start of construction on a new building on 38th Street and Baltimore Avenue. By August 2007, the 120,000-square-foot building is projected to be home to two separate lecture halls, a library and two floors with research labs. The University has closed the intersection at 38th Street and Baltimore Avenue and has redirected all traffic up University Avenue at 38th Street, Sorrentino said.
In addition to construction of the new buildings, other areas around campus have seen renovations this summer.
According to Managing Director of Design and Construction Mark Wilson, the most important work of the summer involved housing.
"For me, the biggest accomplishment of the summer was completing sprinkler systems in all undergraduate housing as well as all fraternity houses," Wilson said. "We expect the graduate student housing to be completed over the next two years."
In Williams Hall, work on the ventilation and heating systems as well as windows, which began last year, is near completion and the scaffolding around the building is expected to be removed in the next few weeks.
Bennett Hall has also been emptied, and construction will begin to improve its electrical systems, air conditioning, windows and floors. In addition, the fourth-floor music areas are to be renovated, and a floor is going to be added over the Penniman Lounge to create more classroom space. This work is expected to be completed in August 2005.
The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has also had some remodeling done, and is expected to be completed soon. The museum itself was expanded, and air conditioning systems were installed. The courtyard was destroyed to allow for these renovations, and landscaping is currently being done to repair the area.
"You have to do this work with a sensitive approach to the history of the museum," Sorrentino said.
Franklin Field also received some improvements over the summer, with the addition of a state-of-the-art turf and the installation of a new scoreboard, which cost $600,000 and $341,000, respectively.
