The College Avenue campus, often regarded as the historic and academic hub of the University, will be seeing more greenery and pedestrian-friendly open spaces in the years ahead.
The first phase of "A New Vision for the College Avenue Campus," the long-term project of reconstruction unveiled in early 2005, is slated to begin this spring although full completion may not be for years.
The design team TEN Arquitectos and Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, presented their preliminary designs in an information session open to the public, which took place yesterday in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
"The plans are innovative and very creative, they have a lot of great ideas about revamping the campus. It's going to be beneficial to students in the long run," said College Avenue Council President Dymir Arthur, a Rutgers College junior.
The project is part of University President Richard L. McCormick's Campus and Community initiative in hopes of enhancing the University community.
The University has allotted $15 million toward the first phase of the project.
Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and Ignacio Bunster-Ossa of Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC expressed their planning goals through a presentation with images of an improved College Avenue.
Main objectives of the project involve connecting College Avenue to the Raritan River and to the city, creating more bicycle lanes and promoting alternative modes of transportation on campus, and fostering a feeling of community.
During the question-and-answer period, the teams fielded questions from students, University council members and residents of New Brunswick.
The teams assured commuting students, who raised concerns about parking problems that could arise after the construction, that steps will be taken to improve the parking situation.
Part of the firms' mission is to create more facilities for parking around the periphery of the campus and make things easier for drivers so that parking isn't the thing you remember [after attending] campus visits, Norten said.
Bunster-Ossa said although they have worked on many campuses throughout the country, they have never seen a school that depends more on transportation than the University.
Although they plan to increase open spaces, create walkways and make the campus more pedestrian friendly, the teams have not forgotten how necessary the bus system is to students.
"Essentially we are celebrating transportation," Bunster-Ossa said.
The teams would like to create an urban context, Norten said, in which interaction among students and faculty can be fostered. Transportation is a huge part of that, he said.
Some areas on campus seem to be disconnected from others and the teams plan to clean up College Avenue to create civic spaces.
Residents of New Brunswick, who expressed concerns about traffic and parking problems that could come with campus changes, were told by Antonio Calcado, the vice president of Facilities and Capital Planning, that a traffic study will be conducted and that eventually a move to put more cars on other campuses and less on College Avenue is in the works. The University communicates openly with the city of New Brunswick about plans that will affect both communities.
"The city has a very large role to play in this whole plan," Calcado said.
New Brunswick partnered with the University in the design competition, and the city administration was part of the jury that picked the winning team in the competition, he said.
"We have begun a conversation with the city and are exploring ways to partner with them," Calcado said.
Many changes will be made to the area opposite the College Avenue Gym and Brower Commons. The steps of Brower may be widened and drainage systems will be installed in the streets. There will be room for new bus shelters, vendors, umbrellas and a covered outside plaza.
"We are shying away from a structural approach to create something more free-flowing," Bunster Ossa said.
Fountains and colorful flowers and plants will be landscaped around the campus. Faculty experts are advising the teams on specific plants so that the landscape material will have a didactic quality as well as aesthetic, Bunster-Ossa said.
There are concerns of matching current building styles with the team's designs.
"Landscape is not trying to address styles," Norten said. "The message is about sustainability and natural vegetation."
Lighting changes were discussed that will eventually make the campus a safer environment for students, the teams said.
Before the teams developed their plans, they took a crash course in all things Rutgers, Norten said. They attended historic seminars, immersion events with various departments, and were given maps and materials explaining campus buildings.
Although the construction will not be fully completed for a long time, the teams are working on the campus in small phases so that College Avenue does not appear torn up by the construction and the plans do not interrupt student life, the teams said.
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