So…is it true? Is our cherished time at the beloved Lehman Hall coming to an end? The answer: yes. The days of looking at everyone’s favorite glass & terra cotta façade are numbered. For the past many months, rumors of the “New Building” have been spreading around campus. The “New Building,” as President Spar referred to the project during a meeting with SGA’s rep council in October, is a major focus of the school right now. The building will come to take the spot of the current Lehman Hall, home of the Barnard library, a building that reminds us every day just how interesting architecture was when it opened in 1960.
Don’t fret though; we are in great hands with this new project. Last August, Barnard welcomed our new Chief Operating Officer Robert Goldberg. Goldberg has over 25 years of experience working for the federal government, and has managed billions of dollars in budgets. Now, from his new office in Milbank, he is working on many important initiatives for the school, including the “New Building,” and still finds time to meet with the students of SGA’s Financial Advisory Council. Besides DSpar and our new COO working on the job, Barnard hired the architecture firm Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill LLP to lead the design of the building. S.O.M. is one of the largest and most influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. Just check out some of their amazing work on their website http://www.som.com/projects. Additionally, Barnard trustees, senior administrators, faculty and students have all been involved in the steering committee, helping to work on the new building.
So, what will happen to the Lehman resources during this project? The departments currently in Lehman Hall will have to be moved into a “swing space” for the length of the construction. This means that economics, history, and political science classes will reside in temporary locations before moving into the new building once it is opened. Most likely, the “swing space” is going to be temporary adjustments made in Lefrak Gym and the empty Barnard pool to accommodate department offices and study space. Activities that currently occur in Barnard’s gym will be moved elsewhere for the construction. Barnard’s pool was already closed last year. In addition, books and other materials will be stored in the swing space or across the street at Columbia. So, the books may be going on a little vacation to a new spot, but they will still be available nearby and the interlibrary loan system will not change. As of now, the goal is to break ground in December 2015, meaning that the swing space adjustments will have to be complete by then. One tough adjustment for students will be learning to cope without our beloved Barnard tunnels during construction. So make sure you have your parkas and tall boots ready for the winter.
This building is supposed to be amazing. It will have spaces for independent and group study, larger classrooms, a lecture hall and new technologically advanced labs for many diverse purposes. Additionally, it will house the Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW) & the Athena Center (both currently in Barnard Hall), the Barnard archives, and of course the new library itself. There will also be a café with coffee and Diana Café inspired grab & go items.
What will the building actually look like? I don’t know, but I’m confident that it will be modern, beautiful, and blend seamlessly into our already great campus. The building is going to be very technologically advanced, and the goal is to have the highest LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. COO Goldberg mentioned to rep council that the new building would most likely be taller than Lehman. So, it will probably have a “tower” aspect to maximize the sunlight on the lawn. In addition, the architects are exploring how to increase green space, perhaps by having outdoor decks.
The construction and schedule needs to be run by the Board of Trustees, and while delays are inevitable, Barnard is well on the way to becoming an even more, even better, modern campus. The goal is to formally open the building to students in 2018.