Plans for Science Center Renovations Unveiled, Construction to Begin in May

When 18 months of renovations are complete, the Science Center will no longer resemble the early-model Polaroid camera that Crimson Key fables allege.

Plans for the renovations, unveiled yesterday during a presentation by leaders of the project and designed by Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Andrea Leers, will add 32,000 square feet of space for a new museum, the expansion of cramped departments and make the building more energy efficient.

The new construction is scheduled to start the Monday after Commencement and continue through January 2004.

The most noticeable aspect of the expansion will be the addition of three floors above the current one-story administrative wing on the Oxford St. side of the building.

The second floor of the new wing will hold a museum for the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments—currently stored in the basement. The third and fourth floors will be the new home of the History of Science Department.

The space freed up by the move will be occupied by some of the Mathematics Department and by the Harvard University Arts and Sciences Computing Services.

Another addition involves the extension of the seventh floor to the rear of the building directly behind the central staircase—a new space that will be utilized by the Statistics Department for a library, classes and conference rooms. A fourth story will also be added to the western terrace near Paine Hall.

The renovations to the existing structure will also include work on the courtyard and the Greenhouse Cafe.

The courtyard, which will shrink by roughly six feet on the eastern edge to accomodate mechanical equipment for the new historical instruments museum, will be planted with more trees and will feature a terraced central seating area.

The glass enclosure of the Greenhouse Cafe will receive a dual-glaze energy efficient coating, as well as increased solar shading so that the area does not get as hot at mid-day.

Also significant will be the creation of a new handicapped accesible entrance off Oxford St., since the current ramp at the main entrance does not meet the required specifications. The new entrance will have a gradually sloped walkway.

During yesterday’s presentation, attended by about 40 people in Science Center C, project managers discussed the impact on the building’s current workers and students.

“We will of course be isolating the construction areas from the general populace. But, it’s not going to be invisible, and, unfortunately, it’s not going to be inaudible either,” said Capital Projects Manager for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Department of Physical Resources Jeffrey Cushman ’69.

To mitigate the interference the project will cause to the normal functioning of the Science Center, the work will be conducted in phases during which much of the building will remain usable—similar to the ongoing renovations at Widener Library.

In addition to considering the flow of people through the building, traffic issues in the neighborhood and on campus have also been addressed.

A site mobilization area will extend from the front of the building almost to the entrance of Loker Commons; however, there will be a walkway through from the Harvard Yard side of the area to Kirkland St. and Oxford St. Also affected will be the University shuttle stop, currently located at that intersection. The stop will probably be moved down Kirkland St., away from the restricted area.

“FAS is currently working on a construction website that will hopefully come on-line mid-summer,” Cushman said. The site will have a page for the Science Center project, as well as information on other ongoing construction.