The Board of Trustees Friday approved the planning of two major projects: the expansion of Perkins Library and the construction of a parking garage and building behind the Bryan Center.
At the meeting, the Board also approved the final design of the Nasher Museum of Art and the planning of an addition to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. During the public portion of the meeting, Trustees heard speeches from Duke Student Government President C.J. Walsh, Graduate and Professional Student Council President Elayne Heisler and President Nan Keohane.
Administrators can now begin planning a three-story building between the Bryan Center and Science Drive. Expected to cost $20 million, the new facility will house all of the retail stores currently in the Bryan Center, except the Lobby Shop. University Architect John Pearce said in a statement that the project will free up about 25,000 square feet in the Bryan Center for use for student activities. Administrators have said some offices in the West Union building will also move into the new building, but they have not decided which ones.
The parking garage will create 700 to 800 new visitor and permit spaces, which will more than make up for the closing of the Divinity School parking lot--the new engineering buildings and the Divinity and Perkins extensions will be constructed on that site.
The construction behind the Bryan Center, which will go to the Board for final approval this winter and begin construction in the spring, also calls for a new landscaped quadrangle and plaza area framed by the south edge of the Chapel, the back of Page Auditorium and the new building.
The Trustees also authorized planning for an expansion of Perkins, a project long discussed by administrators, faculty and students. The expansion will proceed in three phases. In the first, the University will construct an addition behind the Old Chemistry Building, renovate Perkins' first floor and build a pavilion cafe. It will add 72,000 feet of much-needed space.
"This additional area will permit both a slight increase over time in the number of volumes held on site and a vast improvement in the quality of space allotted to the library and academic services, collections and users," Pearce said.
The second phase calls for the renovation of older portions of the library, while the third includes the renovation of the second through fourth floors of the 1968 addition to the building.
Administrators said they will seek final approval of the design and financing in 2002.
In their annual speeches, Walsh, Heisler and Keohane briefed the Trustees on recent developments and future goals. Among many other issues, Walsh described a new DSG initiative to foster campus dialogue surrounding gender equity on campus. In addition to describing GPSC's activities over the past two years, Heisler spoke of the importance of the graduate student voice and outlined GPSC's goals for the upcoming year. Keohane's short speech emphasized her appreciation of Duke's response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
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