Summer construction includes final work on new computing center

Construction of Princeton University's new High-Performance Computing Research Center is expected to near completion this summer, while work on the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment is scheduled to begin. Several other construction and renovation projects also will continue on campus this summer.

Anne St. Mauro, assistant vice president for facilities-design and construction, and Sean Joyner, deputy director of the Office of Design and Construction, provided an update on current Office of Design and Construction projects, while John Ziegler, director of the Office of Real Estate Development, and Donna Tatro, director of enterprise infrastructure services at the Office of Information Technology, provided an update on the High-Performance Computing Research Center.

High-Performance Computing Research Center: Completion of mechanical systems and administrative office areas is among the final work at the new 46,765-square-foot facility located on the Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro. The building, which will house the University's high-performance computing research systems and will be staffed by three people, is expected to open in mid-September. The two-story building will serve as home of TIGRESS -- the Terascale Infrastructure for Groundbreaking Research in Engineering and Science Center -- and also will support approximately half of the University's administrative computing capacity, as well as a large number of departmental systems. The facility was designed by Gensler of New York, while AKF Group of Princeton provided engineering services and CS Technology of New York provided project management services.

Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment: A four-year process to build the new 127,000-square-foot structure at the corner of Olden and Prospect streets will begin this summer. The Andlinger Center was established in July 2008 to accelerate research on effective and sustainable solutions to problems of energy and the environment. Initial work on the center's new home will include some site demolition and the placement of underground utilities. The project will incorporate 86 Olden St., the former home of the Fields Center, and as part of the site preparation, a set of stone lion statues at the current site will be moved in mid-June to a new location along the walkway at the southwestern corner of the Frick Chemistry Laboratory. The three-structure complex in the University's School of Engineering and Applied Science was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York.

Summer Construction Lenz Tennis

The Cordish Family Pavilion at the Lenz Tennis Center, which will be completed this summer, will provide locker rooms and coaches' offices for the University's varsity tennis teams. (Photo by Christopher Lillja)

Lenz Tennis Center: Construction of the new 7,100-square-foot Cordish Family Pavilion accompanying the courts at the Lenz Tennis Center is expected to be completed this summer. The new pavilion will provide locker rooms and coaches' offices for men's and women's varsity teams, a lounge for team meetings, support spaces, access ramps and a 3,700-square-foot covered viewing deck. The facility was designed by Dattner Architects of New York City.

Neuroscience and Psychology buildings: Structural steel work is expected to be completed this summer at the site of the new Neuroscience and Psychology buildings, south of Icahn Laboratory and west of Washington Road. The 248,000-square-foot, two-building complex will house the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Psychology. Steel work will be followed by installation of metal decking, concrete slabs and utilities at the basement level. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2013.

Jadwin Hall: Building renovations will be contained within the fourth floor this summer. Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems will be replaced, and new lighting, building controls and windows will be installed. Work on the building, which is home to the Department of Physics, began in the fall of 2009 and is expected to be completed in fall 2013. Staff members displaced by renovation work will be housed in temporary space at 87 Prospect Ave. and Frick Chemistry Laboratory.

Firestone Library: As part of the comprehensive renovation of Firestone Library, work on a new book storage area on the library's C level and the extension of an existing stairway in the northwest corner of the building is expected to finish this summer. Planning for the next phases of the long-term renovation and reconfiguration of the building will continue, and the library will remain open and occupied throughout the project.

Wilcox Hall: Julian Street Library, located in Wilcox Hall in the Wilson College residential complex, will be renovated this summer and is expected to reopen in the fall. New furniture, carrels and lighting will be installed, and the library's computing and technological resources also will be upgraded. Located on the second floor of Wilcox Hall, the facility's new interior was designed by Joel Sanders Architect of New York to create a more flexible and versatile study space for students.

Blair Walk: The walkway along Pyne Hall will be renovated with new pavement and landscaping. Maintenance and waterproofing work also will be completed on the nearby archway, Dodge Gate, located between Henry and 1901 halls. Dodge Gate will be closed starting in early June and is expected to reopen to pedestrian traffic later this summer. The walkway and archway renovation is expected to be completed at the end of October.

Lawrence Apartments: Exterior maintenance work will start in June at the Lawrence Apartments graduate student housing complex located off Alexander Road. The facades of building No. 1 and buildings No. 8-14 will undergo routine maintenance, which will require some scaffolding to be placed outside the structures. Work will be scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and residents will be able to continue to occupy units this summer. The project is expected to be finished in September.