Several major campus construction projects outlined in the Elon Commitment strategic plan are under way, with completion expected this summer on some work, while other projects are getting started. Following this spring’s construction bidding process, timelines for several projects have been established.
Work currently under way
Colonnades Neighborhood
Construction of three new residence halls in the Colonnades Neighborhood adjacent to the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center is on schedule for completion this August, which will provide housing for 300 students. The new buildings will feature single rooms and four-person suites. Testing is under way for the geothermal energy system, located underground on the commons between the buildings, that will provide environmentally friendly heating and cooling for the residence halls. In addition, a solar hot water system is being completed for the Colonnades Dining Hall and two Colonnades residence halls.
Loy Center expansion
Work is ahead of schedule on five new houses for Elon’s fraternities and sororities.
Gerald L. Francis Center
Renovation of a portion of the Gerald L. Francis Center on Haggard Avenue is on schedule for completion in December 2011. The Francis Center will be the home of Elon’s new School of Health Sciences, including the doctor of physical therapy program and the new physician assistant studies master’s program, which will enroll its first class in January 2013.
Behind the Francis Center, new lighted fields for baseball and softball are being created along with a road connecting Francis Center to Danieley Center.
These new intramural sports facilities are replacing the playing fields that were located at the site of the new residential village, The Station at Mill Point, across from the Town of Elon fire station on Williamson Avenue.
Alumni Gym renovation – phase II
Work is under way to create new locker rooms and training facilities for Phoenix men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams, with completion scheduled for August. Elsewhere in Koury Center, new faculty offices are being developed for the Department of Health and Human Performance and the Department of Exercise Science, and the Stewart Fitness Center is undergoing a major expansion, with a staircase connecting the existing space with the former athletics weight room on the floor below.
Elon Town Center
Construction is proceeding rapidly on a new three-story building in downtown Elon that is being built by a local developer. Elon Town Center will include the university’s expanded Barnes and Noble bookstore, offices for The Pendulum student newspaper, a full-service Wells Fargo Bank ATM and other local businesses. Completion is scheduled for early August. When the bookstore moves to Elon Town Center from Moseley Center, work will begin on renovating that space to provide the new home for Elon’s Student Professional Development Center, which is scheduled to open by next December.
Future construction projects
Construction timeline – The Station at Mill Point
Work will begin in June on The Station at Mill Point, a 25-building, village-style complex across from the Town of Elon’s fire station on Williamson Avenue. The complex, which will integrate well with the surrounding Town of Elon, will open in August 2012, providing housing for about 325 juniors and seniors. This project was previously planned as a two-phase development, but the timeline was consolidated into a single phase to reduce the total cost and provide less disruption to students who will reside there.
Construction timeline – new dining hall
Construction on a new 38,000-square-foot dining hall connected to the west side of Moseley Center will begin following the removal of Story Center this summer. The dining hall will include a second-story multipurpose meeting room larger than McKinnon Hall in Moseley Center, a large dining room and smaller food venues, and is scheduled to open in December 2012.
Construction timeline – Global Neighborhood
Architectural design of the new 600-bed Global Neighborhood residence complex, which will replace Harper Center and Story Center on the shores of Lake Mary Nell, will take place during the 2011-2012 academic year. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2012 with completion projected for fall 2014.
Construction timeline – Numen-Lumen Pavilion
Fundraising and architectural design work is continuing for construction of a multi-faith center, which will be the sixth and final pavilion in Elon’s Academic Village. The Numen-Lumen Pavilion will be a place for prayer, meditation and reflection in the heart of campus, respecting the differing customs of students’ religious and spiritual traditions. Construction will begin this fall.