Burst pipe floods Harrison lobby, lab

A water pipe in the ceiling of the Harrison College House lobby burst yesterday afternoon, temporarily forcing residents out of the area and causing damage to the computer lab on the floor above.

One of the building's four elevators was also disabled by the incident.

Within minutes of the flooding -- which happened at about 3 p.m. -- the lobby was taped off. Students wishing to enter or exit the building were forced to walk through the basement, which is usually used for storage.

Penn security personnel helped guide residents to the temporary entrance.

The lobby was reopened after the water was mopped up, but the computer lab on the first floor -- which was flooded, according to Harrison College House Dean Frank Pellicone -- will remain closed for an undetermined length of time.

Building manager Barry Lasley could not be reached for comment.

This is not the first time in the past year that the high-rise dormitories have had pipe-related problems.

Last January, two pipes burst in the high rises in as many days, calling into question the stability of the buildings' infrastructure.

According to University officials at the time, replacing the buildings' major pipes would cost about $3 million for each of the three high rises.

$26.5 million renovations were completed on the building last fall.

The pipes, though, have not been replaced since the buildings were constructed in the 1970s.

Although no living space was damaged in this most recent incident, residents were inconvenienced by the rerouting necessitated by the lobby shut-down.

Most students were only minorly inconvenienced by the flooding.

Sanjay Chandrasekaran, a College junior, has lived in Harrison College House for the last two years.

He said that despite occasional facilities issues, Harrison is still a convenient place to live because of its proximity to academic buildings on campus.

But, he said, it's hard to figure out why there are still facilities issues.

"After so much cash, it's kind of sad" that things keep malfunctioning or breaking, he said.

"There is always something broken, always something to fix" in the building, he added.

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