As the spring semester comes to an end, construction at Binghamton University is continuing.
Some buildings currently undergoing construction and renovations include the third floor of the Glenn G. Bartle Library, the Science II and IV buildings, the West Gym, the Events Center and the outdoor “Hinman Hill’’ project. The renovations on the third floor of the Bartle Library, which began last November, involve the installation of new flooring and lighting along with the removal of asbestos.
Bryan Field, the libraries communications officer for BU, said that renovations for the third floor of the Bartle Library are currently on track to be completed by the spring of 2024.
“The renovation project on the third floor of the Bartle Library is well underway with renovations expected to add several new resources and spaces that will support student and faculty use,” Field wrote in an email. “When complete, the third floor will feature a new digital scholarship center, meeting spaces for collaboration and individual quiet study as well as our unique collections.”
The Science II and Science IV buildings have both been undergoing consistent renovations, with offices, labs and support spaces being updated in each of the buildings. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are also being installed in Science IV.
Karen Fennie, the communications specialist for Physical Facilities, has confirmed that construction for both buildings will be finished for the upcoming fall semester.
“The projects [in Science II and IV] are substantially complete and most of the remaining work is centered around furniture and equipment installations which take place over the next couple of months,” Fennie wrote in an email.
Fennie also described the potential environmental benefits that students can expect to see from the renovated Science buildings.
“They’ve enhanced energy efficiency in these older buildings through new windows, insulated metal panels on the building exteriors and updated mechanical systems,” Fennie wrote. “Aside from that, students will have more small informal gathering/study spaces in the buildings.”
Plans for the outdoor “Hinman Hill” project have been finalized, with construction set to start over the summer. Al Vos, former collegiate professor of Hinman College and associate professor emeritus of English, was behind the idea for the project, and initially had hoped the hill would be ready by the time alumni arrived for Homecoming in the fall.
The upcoming fall semester remains the target date for the project, according to James Brice, the associate director of operations and crisis for Residential Life.
“The project has been awarded to a contractor and work will begin this summer,” Brice wrote in an email. “We cannot commit to a specific completion date at this time, as we are often at the mercy of supply chain issues and weather delays with a project like this.”
Fennie provided an additional update for the boiler project in the Events Center and the West Gym, which is still expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.
“The main work remaining in the boiler project involves interior work in the new plant, the Events Center and the West Gym,” Fennie wrote. “The goal is to help reduce load on the central heating plant, deactivate high-temperature hot water (HTHW) lines in poor condition and provide heat and hot water for the Events Center and the West Gym.”
Some students are looking forward to the improvements that these projects can bring to student life and campus infrastructure. Joshua Blankstein, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said that a refurbished library would be a better resource for the campus.
“The third floor of the Bartle Library is the most useful renovation for me,” Blankstein wrote in an email. “I will be living off campus next semester and a renovated space to do work between classes can be useful to me academically.”
Daniel Shulman, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, said he wishes the third floor of the Bartle Library could be renovated sooner.
“I like the improvements that these projects are bringing, but it’s unfortunate that the third floor of the [Bartle] Library will only be reopened by 2024,” Shulman said. “It can be hard finding study spots in the library as it is during exam weeks.”