From The Big House, to State Street and all the way to North Campus, the buzz of bulldozing and the sight of orange cones are familiar to students across the entire University of Michigan campus. The Michigan Daily took a look at the major ongoing construction projects that you need to know about this semester.
- The Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building
The U-M School of Information is currently located on Central Campus near North Quadrangle, but will relocate to a new 163,000 square-foot facility in 2025. The new site, which is currently under construction, is adjacent to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building.
In an interview with The Daily, Dan Atkins, professor emeritus of the Information School and EECS, as well as the former dean of Engineering and the founding dean of the Information School, said the new building will make it easier for students and faculty from the Information School and the EECS Department to collaborate with one another.
“My hope is that there will be synergy in the physical proximity of EECS and the Information School,” Atkins said. “Both, for example, have strength in (artificial intelligence) and data science that together can further increase U-M’s standing in this area. EECS has strength in robotics and UMSI has researchers studying robot-human interaction. The Information School has huge strength in computer-human interaction and design of user interfaces.”
With a $145 million budget, this project began in spring 2022 and is expected to be completed in summer 2025.
- Central Campus Recreation Building
Last year, the University demolished the CCRB and set up the Temporary Palmer Recreation Field, an athletic complex under a giant tent in the middle of Palmer Field.
Plans for the new CCRB were initially approved in 2018, with an initial budget of $150 million. After being postponed, and having a new budget of $165 million approved, construction began in December 2022 and the University expects the new CCRB will be completed in spring 2025. The building will occupy approximately 200,000 square feet and will feature an assortment of modern gymnasiums for recreational sports and exercise, a track, spaces for weight and cardiovascular training, group exercise rooms, pool spaces, climbing areas, squash and racquetball courts, locker rooms and administrative spaces.
Lillian Schneider, Build a Better Michigan president, told The Daily the new CCRB was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schneider said Build a Better Michigan helped decide what renovations and amenities the University chose to include in the new CCRB.
“I feel like it probably was pushed back (because of COVID-19),” Schneider said. “(The Board of Regents) approved it for 2020 and then (COVID-19) happened. And then by (the) time they got back into doing it again, or moving on to the next steps, supplies and equipment started to cost more because of inflation. We had to go back to the Board of Regents and ask for more money, which they approved.”
- College of Pharmacy Building
Since last winter, the intersection of Glen Avenue and East Huron Street has been home to one of the largest construction sites on campus. By fall 2025, the area will house the new College of Pharmacy building. The original College of Pharmacy was constructed in 1960 on Church St., where it still stands today. A major addition was completed in 1992, however, because the space was still not large enough to meet the College of Pharmacy’s growing needs for teaching, research and office spaces, they have since been distributed throughout seven different campus buildings.
According to a University Record article, the new 142,000 square-foot facility for the College of Pharmacy will house laboratories, administrative and faculty spaces and other student-focused areas.
- The President’s house
The oldest building on campus will soon be updated with a variety of accessibility and aesthetic upgrades. Built in 1840, the President’s house experienced four major renovations between 1864 and 1933 and is currently being renovated again. According to a University Record article, accessibility upgrades to the ground floor include an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathroom and a reconstructed outdoor patio with wheelchair access. The house is also getting a new west entrance, new exterior doors and a renovated connection between the sunroom and the patio. In the private residential area, University President Santa Ono will have access to a new open kitchen and dining space.
This project is budgeted at $15 million and is expected to be completed during the fall 2023 semester.
5. Edward and Rosalie Ginsberg Building
The Edward and Rosalie Ginsberg Building, known as the Madelon Pound House, currently houses the Ginsberg Center, a community and civic engagement center. The site, which is located at 1024 Hill St., will be reconstructed by spring 2025 to allow the Center to expand their outreach and collaboration efforts.
In an interview with The Daily, Dave Waterhouse, associate director of the Ginsberg Center, said he was excited about the sustainability features of the new building, which will make it the first carbon-neutral building on campus.
“The Ginsberg Center’s mission is to cultivate stewardship and equitable social change for the public good,” Waterhouse said. “We are very excited because the project is one that will combine community sustainability with social sustainability. It will be the first net-zero carbon building on campus with natural light (and a) geothermal system.”
The new building will include collaborative meeting spaces, a resource library and space for student organizations in addition to administrative spaces for staff at the Center.
6. Michigan Health D. Dan and Betty Khan Health Care Pavilion
With a budget of $920 million, The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion is under construction and will be home to a neurosciences center, specialty spaces for cardiovascular and thoracic patients and 264 private rooms throughout 12 stories. The building will span 690,000 square feet of the University’s medical campus and is expected to connect to the Frankel Cardiovascular Center with a bridge and a tunnel.
In a press release, Michigan Medicine President David Miller said when the renovation is completed, the Pavilion will help the U-M hospital system offer the highest-quality of specialized medical care possible to patients.
“With the Pavilion, Michigan will have one of the most state-of-the-art hospitals in the country — that also demonstrates environmental and social responsibility,” said Miller. “The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion will be a game changer for Michigan and our patients, as well as the faculty, staff and learners who are committed to caring for them.”
Daily Staff Reporter Sneha Dhandapani can be reached at sdhanda@umich.edu.