Students will have to wait at least a semester longer than expected for the completion of the Nexus building, according to an e-mail sent to Barnard students this summer.
The student center, funded by a $15-million donation from Diana and P. Roy Vagelos, was originally scheduled to open in fall 2009. In the e-mail, former Barnard President Judith Shapiro announced that the opening has been delayed until January 2010 due to the construction manager’s difficulties with a subcontractor. Incoming president Debora Spar also said in an interview this summer that the installation of the building’s curtain wall—the exterior glass panes that will fit into the structure’s steel frames—has also held up construction.
“This is incredibly complicated to install,” explained Spar, whose husband is an architect and has worked on similar projects. “There are only two firms in the country who can do it, and every building of this sort has delays.”
The alternating panes of clear and brick-colored glass, which are meant to imitate the brick buildings throughout campus, do not support any of the external structure, but allow for additional light while still maintaining internal conditions. The panes were developed with help from Robert Heintges, an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and his firm R.A. Heintges & Associates, who specialize as curtain wall and façade consultants.
“It’s unfortunate we’re going to get delayed because of the curtain wall, but it’s not completely unexpected,” Spar said. “My concern is especially for the seniors this year that they have space that they can call their own and enjoy.”
Both Spar and Shapiro said that maximizing campus space in the absence of a student center will be a priority this year. Shapiro announced in an e-mail last year to the student body that Lewis Parlor in Barnard Hall would be converted into a student lounge and daytime café, and promised that the Events Committee will give higher priority to student-oriented events when assigning spaces.
Spar added that while “the faculty is okay dealing with the disruption ... where we’re cramped, I think, is not having more student lounge space, so we’re working on that.”
Still, some students were dismayed by the continuing lack of a central space as well as the detours to class.
“It makes the whole campus feel like a construction site,” Rachel Danis, BC ’10, said. “I think it really conceals what Barnard’s campus is about.”
Sharona Kahn, BC ’10, was concerned that she may not have the opportunity to use the student center before graduating next year. “I personally was hoping that this would be here for us,” she said.
But Larissa Mattei, BC ’10, was not shocked by the delays. “I’m not surprised, actually,” she said. “I don’t think anyone actually believed that it was going to be done.”
Joy Resmovits contributed reporting to this article.
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