As Central Campus shuts its doors to housing undergraduates, West Campus is set to welcome some of the displaced students as the residential construction projects wind down.
The Fall 2019 semester will see the opening of the 703-bed Hollows dorm complex and the reopening of Craven Quad dorms after yearlong renovations. Summer construction will also be taking place in Abele Quad and along Chapel Drive to prepare for the 2019-20 academic year.
The Hollows
The Hollows, which began construction in the summer of 2017, is slated to open in the middle of July and house students for the Fall semester, wrote Joe Gonzalez, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean for residential life, in an email to The Chronicle.
The new dorm complex was originally designed to hold around 500 students in single rooms in a suite-style fashion. However, in February 2019, Gonzalez said that around 180 singles were to become double rooms to accommodate the influx of students studying abroad in Durham from Duke Kunshan University and more admitted transfer students. This has raised the number of beds to 703.
Most of the construction has been completed with no major complications, and only the finishing touches remain before the dorm is set to open, Gonzalez wrote.
Originally, plans to expand the network of piping that provides hot water and heating to Duke’s building were set for this summer, which would have closed Towerview Road between Duke University Road and Wannamaker Drive, according to a news release. However, this project has been postponed until 2020.
Craven Quad
After students living in Craven were relocated to Few Quad and 300 Swift apartments for the 2018-19 academic year, Cravens renovation will be complete in mid-July slating the dorm to reopen in Fall 2019.
Gonzalez added that there were no major complications with the construction.
The renovation encompassed installation of a new roof and central air conditioning, renovation of common rooms and remodeling of bathrooms, Gonzalez told The Chronicle last year.
East Campus
Southgate is set to reopen in the Fall for the Class of 2023 after it was closed for the past academic year to install central air conditioning and sprinklers.
Jarvis and East House, along with the recently constructed Trinity House, absorbed students displaced by the renovation for the 2018-19 academic year. Gonzalez explained last summer that Trinity—which opened in January 2018—is intended to replace Jarvis, Epworth and East House, but that some of these dorms would remain open as swing space during renovations.
Gonzalez wrote that no renovations were planned for the 2019-20 academic year, meaning that Epworth and East House would not house students of the Class of 2023. However, Jarvis will remain open for the upcoming year. Jarvis is the substance-free dorm on East Campus, meaning its residents are not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs while living there.
According to Gonzalez, the next major renovation on East Campus will likely be the installation of central air conditioning and sprinklers in Gilbert-Addoms, which would begin in the summer of 2020.
Cafe Edens
Cafe Edens—also known as Pitchforks—will undergo renovations until December 2019, but with no impact to the eatery’s hours of operations in the Fall, wrote Paul Manning, director of the office of project management, in an email to The Chronicle.
The restaurant, found in Keohane Quad, will see its kitchen and serving area renovated over the summer to accommodate the influx of students living in the Hollows, which is near Cafe Edens. During the Fall semester, crews will be working on constructing a glass structure to encase a nearby terrace, providing approximately 70 extra seats for diners, according to the news release.
Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center
Breaking ground in the summer of 2017, the new visitors center located by Chapel Drive and Duke University Road is rapidly nearing completion.
According to Manning, the building will have its landscaping completed over the summer and be ready to open in the fall. Once completed, the center will be home to a new office for the Duke Alumni Association and provide meeting areas for visitors and graduates.
Engineering Building
Near the intersection of Telecom Drive and Research Drive, a new engineering building is under construction and slated to open by the Spring 2021 semester.
The superstructure of the building is complete and in the process of being enclosed. Crews are currently installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
Manning wrote that the building will include a lecture hall, research and teaching labs, collaborative spaces and active learning rooms.
Chapel Drive
Chapel Drive will be closed from Duke University Road to the traffic circle at Campus Drive to replace a culvert—a water-carrying pipe beneath the road—according to a news release. The closure began after Commencement and will last until August.
A traffic light will also be installed at the Duke University Road and Chapel Drive intersection, in addition to new pavement, sidewalks and street lights along Chapel Drive. Pedestrians will be able to use a walkway running by the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center while the street is closed.
Abele Quad
The road surrounding Abele Quad in front of the Chapel will be closed until August, according to the release. Crews will install new pavement and curbs in addition to widening the sidewalks.
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