Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, explained the school’s plan to add a new wing to Keohane Quadrangle—code named “K4”—at the Campus Council meeting Thursday.
Nowicki said the feasibility study started Monday to determine whether the University could afford the addition, given the current state of its finances.
The new building will run across the back side of the quad near Edens Quadrangle. The addition of the fourth building was originally the last phase of the New Campus development plan, but has been moved due to New Campus’ delay.
The new wing would be a prototype for New Campus, allowing students to get a sense of the experience and offer their input, Nowicki said.
“The idea has a whole lot of potential,” said Campus Council President Stephen Temple, a junior. “Campus Council will be acting as the student voice throughout the process.”
Campus Council may send student representatives to the planning committee as well, Temple said.
Initial plans for K4 will allow more space for juniors and seniors living on West Campus to occupy suite-style housing as well as more single rooms, Nowicki said.
“We are not going to be building a single core or double-loaded set of double rooms in K4.... We’re looking for a new way of living that will facilitate the nature of social living groups here,” he said. “[The addition] would be like Keohane on the outside but its design would be quite different on the inside.”
The addition of K4 could have an effect on the number of students eligible for the off-campus lottery, though the addition would not impact the student population, Nowicki noted.
Nowicki said that if the feasibility study shows positive results and the Board of Trustees approves the project, he hopes to break ground as early as next Spring in order to finish by Fall 2011, which would allow current sophomores the opportunity to live in the new residence hall.
Members of Campus Council and Nowicki said they believed student input would be invaluable to the process.
“I hope to see Campus Council and a wide variety of students involved in discussions about which living style are most amenable,” said Campus Council Vice President Alex Reese, a junior.
In other business, Nowicki said the addition of a new Central Campus eatery, which was delayed by the discovery of termites in June, as well as the slow process of receiving approval from the city to begin construction, will be finalized in the first weeks of Spring 2010.
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