Planners Talk New Academic Spaces, Mueller's Florist Demolition

Several changes to campus buildings will be visible this semester, ahead of major changes scheduled to happen next spring, the NJIT official in charge of construction said.

Some changes are deferred due to budget constraints caused by the COVID-19 situation, but many updates were already budgeted and are proceeding as scheduled, explained Todd Miller, assistant vice president for campus planning, design and construction, who received a Bachelor of Architecture degree here in 1995.

Laboratories and lecture halls are where students, faculty and staff will see the most immediate changes.

Renovations are happening to the third and fourth floors of the Life Sciences and Engineering Center. The third floor will be used for chemistry and motion-capture research. The fourth floor will be used by New Jersey Innovation Institute, which is an NJIT-owned corporation for consulting and research to government and industry on cell therapy.

Phase two of the Microfabrication Innovation Center is also underway. Project planners are currently evaluating which NJIT researchers will use the space, what equipment will be needed and which technical infrastructure will be upgraded. The renovated space itself had a ribbon-cutting ceremony last December.

Renovation for a new home for the Polymer Processing Institute is happening on the first floor of the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center (GITC). That group will vacate the third floor, to accommodate growth in the Ying Wu College of Computing. Renovations will begin in summer 2021.

The lecture halls in Weston Hall, home of the Hillier College of Architecture and Design are almost finished. "Part of the university's initiative is to systematically renovate our lecture halls," Miller said, noting that similar rooms in Tiernan Hall, GITC and the mechanical engineering building were already renovated. Cullimore Hall is next on the list. The renovations include modern audio-visual systems, electrical outlets at every seat and upgrades for comfort and aesthetics.

Major changes that will start in spring 2021 include demolition of the former Mueller wholesale florist building at the southwest corner of Central Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., which will initially be restored as green space, lasting up to five years before construction of a new academic building there. The university's long-term plan involves removing Kupfrian Hall — while maintaining the Jim Wise Theater — and making the Kupfrian location a permanent green space.

A new residence hall is also planned on the opposite corner of campus, at the intersection of Warren St. and Wickliff St., which used to be a Newark public school. This will be a modern 500-bed structure with construction scheduled to start by the first quarter of 2021.

A smaller warehouse building at Summit St. and Sussex Ave. will be used partially for university storage and partially for student clubs, including the Solar Car Team and Steel Bridge Team, both of which need large spaces and suitable garage door access.

Something that never stops, but perhaps slows down during a pandemic, is general building and infrastructure maintenance along with minor renovations. "It's super important, it's not cheap, but it has to be done to protect these renovations that we're doing," Miller observed. One unique example is the new gravel sidewalk crossing a green area behind the Campus Center heading toward GITC. That route evolved as a natural dirt path from people walking, with the new choice of gravel instead of concrete due to concerns about students falling, for example, in chase of a ball or Frisbee.

Other examples are at Hillier College which is currently undergoing roof repairs after a minor fire caused by a worker's construction torch last summer. There was damage to the air conditioning system. That and various small leaks are being repaired.

Still more upcoming projects include an upgraded Hillier College entrance on Martin Luther King and sustainability efforts such as a solar panel field atop the Wellness and Events Center, composting equipment for the faculty-staff dining hall and a new Director of Sustainability job position.

"Todd and his team continued to persevere through extremely difficult circumstances, finding innovative ways to keep projects moving forward," added Andrew Christ, senior vice president for real estate development and capital operations. "His work to renew our campus is invaluable and the impact is visible, all while preparing the campus for our converged learning modality.”