Rendering courtesy of Sasaki
A rendering of the Collis Student Center porch renovation, which includes accessibility improvements and structural repairs.
Dartmouth College is seeing a number of construction and improvement projects at its campus in Hanover, N.H., including an expansion of the Collis Student Center porch, a revamp of the school's sailing boat house and installation of sustainable heating systems into several residential halls.
The Dartmouth, an independent student news source at the Ivy League college, added that renovations will be made to the college's Hopkins Center for the Arts, Rauner Library, East Wheelock Street residential cluster and the Fayerweather Halls.
Crews began working across the Dartmouth campus immediately following the end of reunions on June 16 because of the reduced number of students on campus and favorable weather conditions, according to Patrick O'Hern, senior director of the college's project management services office.
Collis Student Center Porch
The revitalization of the Collis Student Center porch and surrounding landscape began June 17, according to Drew Miraldi, a project manager overseeing the renovations, with completion set for this fall. He said the upgrades will raise the porch, replace stairs with a large ramp and expand its patio space. The Collis portico will remain unchanged.
The $5 million project, which comes out of Dartmouth's facilities budget, aims to improve the building's accessibility, aesthetic appeal and winter durability, Miraldi noted. In the end, the construction will make Collis a more versatile space and better equipped for hosting large events by widening entrances.
"We know the spirit of Collis and how important it is to the students, and we made sure that we stayed true to what people loved about the porch," he told the student news publication. "We're making sure that it's going to be a welcoming, inclusive and sophisticated space for many different functions — whether that's organized events, casual dining or just meeting up with friends on a summer night."
To accommodate the construction, the college permanently closed Massachusetts Row to vehicular traffic, according to Miraldi.
"Cemetery Lane, which is on the north side of [Robinson Hall], is now a permanent one-way road as well," he added.
Fayerweather Halls to Be Combined Into One
On the same day that work got moving on the Collis Center, another building effort started at Fayerweather Halls, a job expected to last for 20 months with the aim of enhancing student living conditions, The Dartmouth reported. The work will add accessibility measures such as elevators and ramp entrances, 35 beds, telehealth rooms and communal spaces.
While the exteriors of Fayerweather's existing three buildings will remain the same, the interiors will be "gutted," according to Lindsay Walkinshaw, Dartmouth's senior project manager.
New structures will be built between each of the buildings, creating one continuous dormitory that can be "walked from end to end on every floor," she told the student-run newspaper.
In addition, the renovations also will feature a new community center for South House, referred to as "the great hall," Walkinshaw added.
The project is slated to finish in the summer of 2026.
New Sailing Boathouse, Boat Barn On Mascoma Lake
This fall, Dartmouth's women's and open sailing teams will relocate to a new $13 million boathouse and boat-barn on Mascoma Lake, funded entirely by philanthropic donations. More than $8 million has already been committed to the project.
The new facilities will replace the Allen Boathouse, constructed in the early 1950s, that was "beyond its useful life," Walkinshaw noted. She added that the new structure will be built with natural wood elements in an effort to fit the residential, "lake-house aesthetic."
Additionally, the boathouse will feature locker rooms, spaces for visiting teams and a viewing room that overlooks the lake. Dartmouth students who take sailing as a physical education course also will be able to use the boathouse's new classrooms.
The renovations include a boat barn with a 24-ft.-tall door that allows fully-rigged sailboats to be conveniently stored.
"It's going to be super exciting," said sailing team member Madeline Koelbel. "The new boathouse will allow us to practice a lot more efficiently. We currently spend a lot of time moving boats around and rigging them."
Due to the upgrades, the sailing physical education course typically offered during the summer term is paused this season, O'Hern added.
Maclay Associates, located in Waitsfield, Vt., has been contracted to design the new Mascoma Lake boathouse.
New Hot Water System Part of Sustainability Effort
In front of Dartmouth's Topliff Hall and New Hampshire Hall, the college is installing a new hot water heating system to retire "old and inefficient" steam lines, O'Hern related. Installation of the pipe began in mid-June and will continue through the fall.
The Alpha Phi and Alpha Xi Delta sorority buildings, the Ledyard apartments and McCulloch Hall also are closed this summer as they undergo renovations to help them transition toward hot water heating, The Dartmouth previously reported.
The new hot water system is part of a sustainability initiative — the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative — championed by school President Sian Leah Beilock.
O'Hern said the effort will provide heating and cooling to multiple buildings across campus and enhance energy efficiency and sustainability by transitioning to renewable energy sources like geothermal and heat pumps.
Work Progressing On Four Other Building Sites
Apart from the new construction that got underway at Dartmouth in June are several other ongoing campus projects, according to O'Hern:
- In December 2022, renovation began at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, on track to be completed in the fall of 2025. This project, primarily funded through philanthropic efforts, aims to enhance the center's facilities and accessibility.
- The East Wheelock Cluster upgrades are also in progress, with Zimmerman Hall expected to open for the upcoming fall term. These residential renovations focus on creating modern, accessible living and study spaces for students, with an emphasis on building community.
- The Rauner Special Collections Library renovations that began in the summer of 2022 are "wrapping up soon," O'Hern said. The $6.5 million renovation of the library's exterior will restore the 116-year-old building's roof and repair the damaged copper detailing, cornices and decorative corbels.
- College Street, which runs along the east side of the Dartmouth Green, is closed due to a road improvement project by the town of Hanover that includes the installation of a new water line, sidewalk, and curbing. O'Hern explained that the work is commencing this summer now that the college has finished renovation to Reed and Dartmouth halls, both of which are located nearby.
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