Construction workers, engineers and architects have been working diligently to get as many projects as possible done by the start of the fall semester.

Michael Bruder, executive director of facilities planning and design, said summer is the most convenient time to do projects.

“Summer is when we get the most accomplished,” Bruder said. “It is a shorter time frame, but there’s less going on around campus, so less for us to work around.”

Bowman Hall received mechanical and building improvements this summer.

Two-thirds of the building will have a new HVAC system by the end of the summer, and the rest of the building will be completed in the summer of 2018, Bruder said.

Up until this point, Bowman Hall had heating and cooling systems that dated back to 1962.

The new system will use forced air through vents and ducts instead of water through pipes.

The HVAC systems are being replaced in both Lake and Olson Halls as well, giving these residence halls proper air conditioning for the first time.

Both halls are also undergoing other improvements, such as painting the walls and installing carpet inside the rooms. The roofs of the two residence halls will also be replaced this summer.

The C Science commuter parking lot off of Summit Street and Johnston Drive will have 140 more available spots at the start of the fall semester as well. The addition will sit in between the Liquid Crystal Materials Science Building and Stewart Hall.  

“It was just some lawn space between the upper C Science lot and the lower one,” Bruder said.

This new lot is the final installation in the Summit Street Improvement Project.

The parking lot will be finished in time to accommodate the students going to the finished Integrated Sciences Building.

The Integrated Sciences Building will open in time for classes during the fall semester. The building will hold classes for the departments of biology, chemistry and physics.

This project is the final installment of former President Lefton’s Foundations of Excellence.

Jay Graham, Kent State’s associate director for architecture and engineering, explained their goal with the Integrated Science Building was to put what will be taught on display, and possibly spark interest in other students.

“As you move through this building, whether you’re a fashion student, an architecture student and art major, you can see science happening, and it might interest you,” Graham said.

The science buildings have been undergoing improvements for the past five years, and the completion of the Integrated Science Building marks the end of renovations.

Due to limited space in Rockwell Hall, Terrace Hall is also being renovated in order to make room for the rapidly growing Fashion School.

The renovations include four studio spaces, new offices and a conference room that will occupy the second floor of Terrace Hall.

Bruder said this will be one large, open space so up to 80 students can work while interacting with each other.

Dix Stadium and Murphy-Mellis Field will receive new turf in time for the fall semester, for the first time in about eight years.

Dix Stadium will now house both the football team and women’s soccer team, and Murphy Mellis will house both field hockey and the new women’s lacrosse team.

The new turf will not have boundary markings for any specific sport.

“My team of employees will paint the field for each game and switch the field around for the different sports,” said Rebekkah Berryhill, the groundskeeping supervisor. “We will use a special turf paint and remover in order to do so.”

All of these projects are scheduled for completion by the time fall classes start.

Caitlin Albright is the construction, traffic and safety reporter. Contact her at [email protected].