Soon Poe Field will sprout a new compound of buildings. Two structures will flank Scully Hall: the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Genomics and a new dormitory.
Built to house roughly 220 students, the dorm building will be environmentally friendly, said Thomas Wright '62, University vice president and secretary.
It will be constructed using energy-efficient building materials and follow a design that eases recycling, Wright added.
The dorm initially will house upperclassmen, but eventually may be incorporated into the residential college system, said Jon Hlafter '61, director of physical planning.
"The very preliminary planning [of the dorm] was part of the process for planning the sixth residential college," he said. "It's possible the new dorm will be incorporated into Butler College."
The blueprints for the dorm were created by Machado & Silvetti Associates, the same architectural and planning firm that designed Scully Hall. The firm also conceived the "elliptical concept" for Poe Field.
A completion date for the dorm has not yet been set.
The new dorm will have entries that open onto Poe Field.
The genomics institute and the new dorm will flank Scully to form the southern edge of the ellipse, while a tree-lined walkway with benches will form its northern edge.
Slated to open in November, the 90,000-square-foot genomics institute will include laboratories linked by glass atriums, a coffee shop housed in a metallic structure and molded bamboo floors. Giant louvers — overlapping slats that admit air and light but block rain — will cast shadows resembling the double-helix structure of DNA onto the floor.
When the genomics institute opens in November, all its office space will be completed, but construction of laboratories will continue, said Bob Barnett, the project manager for the institute. The streak of warm weather has kept the construction schedule on course.
But while the construction process has run smoothly, students have expressed concern over the loss of green space on Poe Field. Winter sports are unaffected by the construction, but once spring arrives intramural teams will need to look for alternative practice fields.
"We are aware of the situation for the spring and are looking at the possibility of modified play to accomodate our sports," said Cristine McCarthy, director of club and intramural sports.
In addition, administrators have discussed laying an artificial playing surface on one of the parking lots, Hlafter said.
Once the construction is complete, the space available for athletes will correspond roughly to the space that has been open during the last year, he said.
Those involved in the construction project said they hope the elliptical formation of the buildings will create a sense of overall open space.
"We are working very intentionally to see that the result is actually an enhancement of available open space (both in its aesthetic dimension and its usability)," Wright said in an e-mail.
The new space is designed to resemble Alexander Beach, with a "front lawn," Wright said.
And there is no risk that the elliptical space will be enclosed, said Wright, explaining that the University has decided that in the future it will never build south of Poe Field.
"This plan is explicitly intended to create for all time a southern boundary to the expansion of the campus," Wright said.
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