In 2004, as Columbia celebrates 250 years in the Ivy League, it will do so with its century-old campus revitalized. A decade of construction and renovation begun in 1995 continues to improve the facilities supporting teaching, research and student life on the Morningside, Health Sciences, Lamont Doherty and Nevis Laboratories campuses.

Over seven years ago, Columbia embarked on the largest capital construction program in its nearly 250 year history to accommodate instruction, research and services expected from one of the nation's great universities in the 21st century. Improving the quality of student life to complement the intellectual vitality on campus was a top priority that received much attention in the 1995-1999 Capital Plan. In the current five-year program of 2000-2004, the focus has shifted from student services facilities to teaching and research spaces, while additional emphasis is being placed on providing housing for faculty and graduate students.

As Columbia seeks to improve its infrastructure, it remains mindful of the impact on communities surrounding the University.

"A world-class institution must provide its students and faculty with state-of-the-art facilities," said President George Rupp. "During Columbia's construction and renovation projects, we consult with the community about building design and use. We go to great lengths to provide business opportunities for local and minority contractors and vendors, and employment opportunities for minority workers and residents from Harlem, Washington Heights and the South Bronx. Our aim is that our construction projects benefit not only Columbia but also the communities in which we live."

Completed in fall 2000, this buiding added 297 singles and 37 doubles to the undergraduate housing supply. The building design reflects suggestions made by area residents during a design consultation process.

1995-1999: Enhancing Student Life

Improvements to the student experience in the 1995-1999 Capital Plan consisted of three types of projects: new construction projects such as Alfred Lerner Hall and Broadway Residence Hall, renovations of existing student activity space and residence halls such as Furnald and infrastructure upgrades that allow student services to streamline their business model through the use of technology.

Alfred Lerner Hall was one of the projects that defined the theme of the plan by providing a new destination for student activity. The building features two new dining services venues, the 1,500-seat Roone Arledge Auditorium and Cinema and facilities for numerous student activities. Other new buildings added to improve the student experience outside the classroom include The Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, completed in 2000, which provides a new home for some of Columbia's vibrant religious activities. In addition to activity space, Broadway Residence Hall was opened in the fall of 2000 to provide a quality expansion of Columbia's undergraduate housing options.

Many renovations within residential and student activity facilities were designed to maximize improvements within existing space. Furnald Hall was completely rebuilt to provide air conditioning and improved living spaces equipped with Ethernet connections, allowing students the same high-speed Internet access now available in all undergraduate housing.

2000-2004: Improving Academic Spaces and Increasing Faculty and Graduate Student Housing

To complement the improvements made to student activity space outside the classroom, the Capital Plan of 2000-2004 will support learning through creation and renovation of its classroom and research spaces.

"With the construction of Alfred Lerner Hall and renovations in dorms, lounges and restaurants in the past capital plan, we improved the places where students, particularly undergraduates, build their own communities," said Provost Jonathan Cole. "By investing in academic buildings in the current plan, we have broadened the impact on Columbia's entire academic community."

The new Graduate School of Social Work Building proposed for 121st St. and Amsterdam is designed to provide a much-needed facility for the school while providing spaces such as student lounges and smaller workgroup classrooms that encourage collaborative learning. William and June Warren Hall, completed at the end of the '95-'99 plan, was built to enhance the programs of the Graduate Schools of Business and Law through the use of larger lecture spaces with amphitheater seating combined with smaller break-out rooms for group work. Multi-year renovation projects in Jerome Greene and Uris halls are also upgrading spaces for these schools in their existing buildings. Planning that supports the student teacher exchange helps create buildings and renovated spaces that reduce the distance between student and knowledge.

Butler Library began a 10-year, $70 million renovation project in 1995 that continues to establish the library as the research center of the Arts and Humanities in the same way Alfred Lerner Hall has become the home of student activities.

Some improvements to academic teaching spaces are being coordinated with more than $300 million of infrastructure work, which is vital to sustain the buildings' programs.

As seen in this rendering of the 200 level of Hamilton Hall's multiphase renovation, the northeast corner will hose the Core Curriculum Center. All 39 classrooms will be renovated by 2004.

"Although most members of our community focus on new construction in the neighborhood, the majority of the work to be completed in the current program will address system and infrastructure issues in existing academic buildings," said Mark Burstein, vice president for facilities management. This work is exemplified through renovations of four McKim, Mead and White buildings: Low Library, Avery, Chandler and Hamilton halls and the more modern School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) building. The structure and systems of these "focus buildings" are being addressed, from HVAC and public space upgrades within the buildings to the exterior building surfaces, roofs and drainage systems outside the buildings. Hamilton Hall, home of Columbia College and largest group of undergraduate teaching spaces, is in the process of having both its classrooms and cooling systems upgraded. Renovations in Avery Hall will also bring a cooling system to studio and office space, new space in the Architecture Library for the Wallach Art Center and improvements to the historic McKim Reading Room. The University is likewise improving Chandler Hall's infrastructure through upgrades to its HVAC and laboratory support systems, laying the foundation for future renovations to its interior spaces.

Innovative use of undeveloped spaces within buildings provides opportunities to expand from within, as exemplified by the construction of 18,000 sq. feet beneath the plaza between SIPA and East Campus. This will be converted into new offices and classrooms for the Institute for Social and Economic Research Policy (ISERP) and Language Resource Center.

The biomedical engineering department, developed in 1999 to respond to the rapid advances in the field of genetic sciences, required a series of renovations and collateral moves to create more than 20,000 square feet of laboratory and teaching space in the third floor of Engineering Terrace and Mudd.

All totaled, an investment of more than $490 million will be made in academic and teaching spaces during this Capital Plan.

On other campuses, construction of the third Audubon Research Building on the Health Sciences campus and a geochemistry building at the Lamont-Doherty campus in Palisades, N.Y., are also major projects of this Plan.

The Office of Institutional Real Estate, with the reconstruction of many plazas and building systems as well as the restoration of several historic building facades, represents a significant part of the off-campus infrastructure improvements in this Capital Plan.

The challenge of providing housing for the University's student and teaching communities is also being addressed. Starting with the conversion of McBain Hall's 200 level from office space to housing and continuing with the planning of the Law School's Lenfest Hall on 121st Street site, efforts are being made to address the housing constraints placed on Columbia by virtue of its location. This is an effort that will continue through the course of the 2005-2010 Capital Plan.

A Enterprise

Construction activity at Columbia is an enterprise that benefits both the University and the economy of New York City. It is estimated that Columbia spends $130 million annually on construction and renovation projects, which translates into millions paid to local contractors and construction workers.

Columbia is working to increase its role in the local economy by continuing to provide employment opportunities for local contractors and workers. For more than 10 years, Columbia has regularly employed companies owned by minorities, women and local contractors as a part of its Capital Plans. In addition to the revenue generated by these businesses, Columbia encourages its contractors and subcontractors to uphold the hiring goals established by the University for hiring minorities, women and local residents on major construction projects.

A Community Affair

While such construction and renovation has strengthened the economic linkages between Columbia and its surrounding communities, there was a need for the voices within these communities to be recognized. In the "Framework for Planning," a document written in conjunction with several community members that guides Columbia's planning and development activity, Columbia set the precedent for the open lines of communication that have led to the successes of projects such as Broadway Residence Hall.

"As we progress with construction and renovation both on and off campus, we strive to respect both the rich architectural history of the campus and the needs of the community that has grown up around," said Emily Lloyd, executive vice president for administration. "The 'Framework for Planning' serves as a link between the University and the community, advising us on what we can do to preserve and enhance the Morningside Heights' unique character as the University develops in the years to come."

As the University embarks on major construction projects in the neighborhood as part of the current Capital Plan, consultation with neighbors regarding projects has expanded. Local and elected officials, community organizations and residents have taken part in discussions that have shaped major projects in important ways. Changes include the location of the Graduate School of Social Work building, height and massing of the Broadway Residence Hall and the appearance of Alfred Lerner Hall's Broadway façade. In the spirit of this collaboration, Columbia facilities management hosted a Capital Projects Open House this spring, so that clients from Columbia and the residents in the surrounding community could view upcoming projects and discuss them with project managers.

"It is the constant dialogue about construction that makes us unique as an institution and makes our programs more successful," said Burstein.