Blueprint for building

With the summer exodus of most students, the University made progress on several major campus building projects--from a new parking garage, to a major addition/
renovation for Du Pont Hall, to several small parks and a Career Services Center.

Construction on the Academy Street garage and office building began in June and is scheduled for completion in February. This project includes a two-story office building and a three-tier parking deck for approximately 500 vehicles.

Work on the Du Pont Hall addition also began in June and will continue until December 2001. The existing front of Du Pont Hall is being replaced with an addition providing new laboratory space for the departments of Materials Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. A new office for the dean of engineering also will be included. The new facility, which will complement the design of Gore Hall, will be the final piece in the original Mall plan envisioned nearly a century ago.

A mini-park with trees and other plantings, as well as benches, was created this summer at the corner of Amstel Avenue and Orchard Road.

The Hullihen Circle project began in June and is scheduled to be completed this fall. According to UD landscaper Thomas C. Taylor, the circle's redesign as a park area is part of the campus beautification project and will improve safety and accessibility. The new walkway will connect a central circle with converging walkways, giving pedestrians convenient access to Memorial Hall, Morris Library and Hullihen Hall.

"Our goal is to provide for smooth pedestrian flow in a park-like atmosphere," Taylor says. "We believe that people will get the same experience as they do when strolling through the landscaped area known as The Grove by Alison Hall."

To create this atmosphere, many of the original plants and trees in the Hullihen Circle area are being retained, with additional landscaping and complementary lighting.

"When it is done, this will be the formal gateway to UD's Newark campus, a nice place to take a leisurely stroll," Taylor says. And, one that ensures pedestrian and vehicle safety.