Work on three large construction projects continued over Winter Break and Intersession on the Homewood campus.
Two, the Cordish Lacrosse Center and the Brody Learning Commons, remained on schedule, while the Wolman Hall renovation faced setbacks.
Due to a series of delays in the delivery of building materials and other items, renovations of the Wolman lobby, originally slated for completion by mid-February, will continue until the first week of March.
"We really wanted to have that done by the time students came back for second semester," Carol Mohr, Senior Director of Housing and Dining Services, said. "Unfortunately there were some misses."
Building materials that have been delayed include ceiling tiles, lighting, the front doors and turnstiles.
According to current time tables, the main lobby will be opened for use by Feb. 14. The majority of the first floor, including the kitchen, multipurpose room, living room, meeting room and bathrooms, will be open for use by Feb. 22. The theater, the last room to be completed on the first floor, will be ready by Mar. 8.
Although the University does not expect the ceiling tiles for the first floor student lounges to be delivered until near spring break, the third week of March, the student lounges will still be opened for use.
"It doesn't really change the ability to use the space. We wanted to let people into the space as soon as [we could] but it won't be finished until spring break," Mohr said.
According to Mohr, the details of who will have access to the new facilities has not been determined yet, aside from Wolman residents.
"Certainly all the students in Wolman will have first access," Mohr said.
Wolman residents have expressed annoyance at the construction.
"It's bearable but going in and out of the building is annoying," freshman Timothy Ng said.
Regardless, students have expressed excitement about the new amenities.
"I'm excited that we get to have a new TV and study room as well as a kitchen because it'll be really convenient," freshman Katherine Tran said.
The design goal of the renovation was to produce a space that was much more open and visible.
"We tried to put glass in these spaces to bring light in.. [and] to follow the Charles Commons theme and to give the opportunity to see what's going on and to be seen," Mohr said.
In addition to student lounges, the first floor renovation will feature a small movie theater capable of accommodating 40 students, a common kitchen and a multi-purpose room. The student group A Place to Talk will also have a counseling room on the first floor.
Parts of the terrace level renovation have been completed and have been made available for student use, including an exercise room with several treadmills and elliptical machines and a study space which will be decorated with student submitted art work. Access to the remainder of the terrace level space, which includes a game room with two large flat-screen televisions and a computer room with several computer terminals and a J-card operated laser printer, will be made available to students over the course of the next week.
The Cordish Lacrosse Center, which will be situated on Homewood Field on the north side of campus, is also in the words. Last Tuesday, concrete pouring for the roof deck of the structure was completed.
The Cordish Lacrosse Center will feature locker rooms for the men's and women's lacrosse teams, offices for the lacrosse coaches, a conference room, a training room, a theater and a study room for lacrosse players to utilize. The Center will feature displays of trophies and other memorabilia from Hopkins Lacrosse history. The building is also LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.
"[The Cordish Lacrosse Center] will heighten awareness of the [lacrosse] program itself," Heather Hess, Project Manager from Design and Construction at the Office of Facilities Management, said. "[It'll] help bring excitement to the program."
Overall students seem supportive of the project.
"It looks like the University is contributing to more than the lacrosse center," freshman Craig Hennessy said. "They're building the new science center next to Mudd. If they are expanding education-wise, they should expand athletic-wise to accommodate all their walks."
"The lacrosse program brings in a lot of money," freshman Becca Levine said. "It's a good investment."
The Center is named in honor of David Cordish. The lead donor, Cordish is a 1960s Hopkins graduate and former member of the lacrosse team. Paid for by private donations, the construction costs are estimated at $10 million.
Once completed, the facility will be the first lacrosse only building in the United States, according to Calder.
"Anything that keeps our team where it is as one of the top teams in the country
is something that helps the entire university," Director of Athletics and Recreation Tom Calder said.
The Cordish Lacrosse Center is scheduled for opening late August 2012.
Meanwhile, across campus, construction continues at the Brody Learning Commons, according to Jody Latimer and Jennifer Dawson, Director of Design & Construction and Senior Project Manager at the Office of Facilities Management, respectively.
"Work on the building exterior is coming to a close; the site work (walls, landscaping, etc.) is slated to begin this month; interior walls and ceilings are being closed up; mock-up of paint colors are being reviewed; plaster ceilings have been completed; furnishings have been ordered," the two wrote in an e-mail to The News-Letter.
Difficulties with interior systems and the sealing of the underfloor air distribution system caused a revision to the construction schedule. However, according to the Office of Facilities Management, the Brody Learning Commons is still on task for a Fall 2012 opening.
The Brody Learning Commons will feature over 500 new seats in the form of 16 group study rooms, 100 seat quiet reading room, a 75 seat cafe, seminar and technology rooms and open spaces with movable furniture.
"Brody Learning Commons will afford our students and faculty the kind of space they deserve, with an infrastructure — physical, technological and personal (i.e., library staff) — that will support their research and study needs in a way we simply cannot in the 1960s MSEL," Winston Tabb, Dean of University Libraries and Museums, said.
