Campus construction update

NYU's campus and its surrounding areas are busy and bustling with six major construction projects. Here is a roundup of the largest projects taking place on and around campus:

Center for Genomics and Systems Biology 12-16 Waverly Place — Began summer 2007. — Scheduled to be completed by summer 2010. — The goal of the project is to protect and repair the facades of the building, as well as eliminate the fire escape, which was built in 1923. When complete, the building's space will have been expanded by 20,000 square feet to reach a total of approximately 70,000 square feet. The building will include classrooms, faculty offices, conference rooms, and labs for genomics, biology and computers. — According to Alicia Hurley, NYU's vice president for government and community engagement, weather and other common delays posed challenges during the project's early phases. This project is currently in its second of three phases.

Barney Building 34 Stuyvesant St. — Began October 2009. — Scheduled to be completed August 2010. — The existing sidewalk and vaults on Stuyvesant and Ninth streets will be demolished, and new ones will be built. — Hurley said the requirement for carrying out asbestos abatement before construction posed a challenge during the project. She added that the community voiced "initial concerns and questions about noise, dust [and] impacts to their street," but that meetings alleviated many of those concerns.

Stern Concourse Project 40-44-50 W. Fourth St. — Began spring 2007. — Scheduled to be completed in early 2010. — The project involves the renovation of Tisch Hall, the Henry Kaufman Management Center and Shimkin Hall, the redesign of classrooms, and the creation of lounges and an undergraduate learning center. A new lobby with a central glass staircase will also be constructed. — This project is in its final phase (out of four). — According to Hurley, construction has been on schedule and completed for the most part. She said that coordinating construction with student class schedules presented a challenge initially.

Cogeneration Plant 251 Mercer St. Plaza — Began spring 2007. — Scheduled to be completed by spring 2010. — This new combined heat and power plant will provide electrical power to at least 18 NYU buildings and hot water to 40 NYU buildings, an upgrade from the previous system that is more energy-efficient.

Center for Academic and Spiritual Life 58 Washington Square South — Begins winter 2009. — Scheduled to be completed by summer 2012. — The former site of the NYU Catholic Center will now be home to the Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, which will provide space for religious observance, offices for NYU's chaplains and classrooms. — Officials are currently detailing plans for the project; construction has not yet been divided into distinct phases.

Provincetown Playhouse 133-139 MacDougal St. — Began fall 2008. — Scheduled to be completed in summer 2010. — The project plans to preserve the original walls of the Provincetown Playhouse while adding legal research centers. — The project is currently in its third of four phases: 1) Abatement 2) Demolition of the interior and exterior of the building 3) Excavation and reconstruction of the building's foundation 4) Construction of the new building.

Ann Perepezko is a contributing writer. Valerie Bogard is a staff writer.