Construction projects to finish for the fall

Planetary Hall is one of several construction projects that should be finished for the 2013-2014 school year (photo courtesy of Mason Construction).

As members of a campus that is constantly changing, George Mason University students are anxiously wondering what their campus will look like in the fall.

One of the most anticipated, new additions to the Fairfax campus is Exploratory Hall, formerly Science and Tech II, which has been under construction since early 2011. The expansions will connect Exploratory Hall with Planetary Hall (formerly Science and Tech I) and will add four classrooms as well as labs and a greenhouse roof. The long, and often inconvenient construction period has cost more than just student patience, the development exceeded the original budget of $53 million by $1.5 million. Project Manager Alex Iszard credits the cost increase to “unforeseen conditions within the renovations.” The construction is expected to be completed by summer of 2013.

Next year will also be Mason's first year without the 47-year old Lecture Hall. The three-room structure will be demolished during the summer of 2013 to make way for the six-story Rappahannock Building containing both housing and classrooms, similar to Sandbridge’s design. The building will house 272 students as well as classrooms with teleconferencing capabilities. The building will be “globally” themed, with a Global Crossings Living Learning Community that pairs international students with upper-classmen domestic students and a cluster of televisions airing news from across the world.

Other construction projects in the upcoming year could have a major affect on campus parking. Lots H and I are currently scheduled to be replaced by new building complexes. While the long-term project for Lot I has not been established, Lot H is scheduled to be replaced by Academic Building VII, the Health and Human Services Building, as soon as funding materializes. The building was one of the university’s top priorities for this year, but delays in building design caused the project to be postponed.

If Academic Building VII can receive funding in the 2013-2014 school year, Lot H could be repurposed as soon as spring of 2014. If this happens, Director of Parking and Transportation Josh Cantor has said that faculty and staff would be relocated to the Rappahannock Parking Deck, which already has been utilized this year as overflow parking for Lot K. With an increased demand for parking on campus and no immediate plans to build new lots or parking decks, issues could arise in the 2013-2014 school year as the amount of parking lessens.