DU is on schedule in remodeling Penrose Library to make it a student hub and improve its accessibility.
“For the next 16 months the library has had to provide its- core services in a variety of places on campus,” said university architect Mark Rodgers. “The most noticeable for the students is the temporary transformation of the Governors Ballroom in the Driscoll Student Center into the primary circulation desk, reference services and UTS computer help areas.”
Centennial Halls and Shwayder Hall also saw updates.
Halls received renovations to its lobby space in order to better match the previous year’s updates to Johnson and MacFarlane.
Shwayder also received repairs to its 35-year-old stairs and an ADA compliant ramp to the main entry.
Rodgers said these changes were implemented for a variety of reasons.
“The University has a well established commitment to provide an environment that fosters effective learning, safe and enjoyable living, as well as a great place to work,” he said. “This year’s projects, in most cases, spring from the combination of the fact that our facilities experience the wear-and-tear of intense use and from the fact that our understanding of what makes an effective learning environment improves.”
According to Rodgers, the process of starting a new project at DU begins with a series of approvals from the administration.
“In the simplest sense, all major capital improvements on the campus are approved by the Chancellor and then the Board of Trustees,” he said. “The Board, through its Building & Grounds subcommittee, is deeply involved in prioritization of projects as recommended by the Chancellor, Provost and the Director of Facilities.”
Rodgers cited multiple other reasons why a project might be started.
“Reasons to launch projects range from primary academic priorities, such as the renovation of the library, to immediate operational needs, such as the replacement of broken stairs, to addressing the accessibility concerns [and] energy efficiency opportunities,” he said. “Often projects that address a multiple of needs are pushed forward sooner.”
Since the campus projects are all parts of different departments, Rodgers was unable to give an exact estimate of the overall cost of the updates.
