Upperclassmen moving in early to Keohane Quadrangle may notice that construction crews, metal fences and building equipment have taken over the quad’s landscape.
Construction of the K4 residence hall, which officially started April 16, took place throughout the summer and will continue into the school year. The dorm, which is expected to open in Spring 2012, will complete the quad and potentially be part of a new University housing model.
Joe Gonzalez, associate dean of Residence Life and Housing Services, said work on the new dorm is “slightly ahead of schedule.” Gonzalez added that summer construction crews mostly focused on utility preparation, including rerouting power, water and sewer lines.
Most of the noisiest work—especially construction involving blasting—was completed over the summer, Gonzalez said. Workers will soon dig the dorm’s footprint and build its foundation—a project that will last until early November.
Gonzalez said crews will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, adding that crews may have to work on the weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. if construction is behind schedule.
The structure of the new dorm should be completed by early February, after which “people will start to see a building develop,” Gonzalez added.
For students living in Edens and Keohane quadrangles, however, noise may be an issue. Gonzalez noted that the University has worked with the main construction company, Skanska, so that noise has a minimal effect on students.
“[Noise] is a challenge because for this building to be created by January 2012 work needs to progress at a steady schedule,” he said.
Although construction on K4 has begun, administrators are delaying discussion of a potential University-wide housing model until Fall when more students are on campus, said Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education.
“We put the discussion about the housing model exclusively on hold for the summer,” Nowicki said. “Last Spring we worked on outlines and now we are entering phase two, when we will start digging down in the details. It’s going to be a year-long process—we are not thinking of making a change for another two years.”
Nowicki added that later housing model conversations will likely include meetings with student leaders—especially Campus Council—as well as town hall sessions.
“I am interested in getting students to be aware of our discussions and contribute as much as they want to contribute,” he added.
Gonzalez said students living around the construction site may experience temporary utilities outages throughout the year, but added that RLHS hopes to notify students of such outages in advance.
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