|
Construction Newsletter
Fall 2025
| | |
As the new academic year begins, Facilities wraps up a productive summer season with the completion of several capital projects – namely Briger Hall, and Commons, the Dillon Gym renovations, as well as many summer projects which continue to steward the campus each year! Major construction activity on campus is winding down, as ongoing construction of Hobson College, SEAS and Quantum Enabling continue, with early activities anticipated for the Eric and Wendy Schmidt project.
In this issue you will get an overview of work completed this summer, updates on ongoing construction, ways to stay informed about changes, and how to get around campus. We also feature some of our sustainability efforts.
| |
HISTORIC GROWTH ON CAMPUS
COMPLETED PROJECTS
| | Aerial view of Briger Hall and Commons. | | The Commons building lobby. | |
BRIGER HALL & COMMONS
Briger Hall and the Commons building opened Summer 2025. Briger Hall is home to the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI), the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) and the Department of Geosciences. The Commons building includes a library, conference facilities and future retail dining. There are a variety of outdoor seating areas surrounding the complex to enjoy that support informal meetings, studying, and ad hoc use.
|
| Renovations to the Fitness Center included added workout space, pictured above, and a spacious outdoor basketball court. | |  | Bird-safe glass, pictured here, is an added environmental feature with the aim of preventing bird collisions. | | |
CLASS OF 1986 FITNESS & WELLNESS CENTER
Phase three, the final phase of the Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center project, opened for first year move-in, Friday, August 22. This phase of construction includes the renovation of the existing Stephens Fitness Center Annex, a new Power Studio for powerlifting and Olympic lifting, new outdoor basketball courts, and a new elevator enhancing accessibility to the Dillon Gym Courts, Fitness Center, Stephens Annex and the Rec Pool.
| |
SUMMER PROJECTS
COMPLETED PROJECTS
| | Each year, following reunions and commencement, Facilities embark on a collection of summer projects. While our campus is never empty, summer provides Facilities an opportunity to perform major maintenance projects, building renovations and infrastructure work with less impact to our community. Here’s a highlight of some of the work completed this summer, with the full list of projects available online. |
WHITMAN COLLEGE
There were over 10 projects that took place at Whitman College this summer. Significant interior renovations included floor replacements, replacement of the paint throughout, and furniture upgrades in the dorm rooms and common areas. Exterior updates included sidewalk and bluestone repairs, updating the geo-exchange piping to Fisher Hall, and repairs to miscellaneous leaks.
| | Renovation of common space of Whitman College. | | Furniture replacement in the Whitman College dorm lounges and study rooms. | |
OTHER SUMMER PROJECTS
- Von Neumann Hall, part of the Engineering Quadrangle, received a new accessible ramp.
-
1901-Laughlin Hall entered its 2nd phase of exterior facade restoration which started during the summer of 2024 and completed summer 2025. The project included exterior window repairs, repointing, roof repairs and flashing/stone repairs. As the facade work was completed, a separate project, to replace bluestone pathways adjacent to 1901-Laughlin took place.
| |
HISTORIC GROWTH ON CAMPUS
PROJECT UPDATES
| |
HOBSON COLLEGE
Construction progress continues for Hobson College, Princeton's newest residential facility. The steel and mass timber structure is making way for the installation of exterior wall systems including wall panels and glass/windows that will enclose the buildings. Improved accessible pathways opened for the new semester leading from Elm Drive through the Patton/Walker arch towards Frist Campus Center.
| |
THE QUANTUM INSTITUTE ENABLING
-
The groundwork has begun for the Quantum Institute, located south of Ivy Lane and north of Roberts Stadium. “Enabling work” on the site includes excavation (digging) to prepare for the installation of geo-exchange bores that will be located under the future building and will connect back to the existing TIGER facility located at the corner of FitzRandolph Road and Faculty Road.
ERIC AND WENDY SCHMIDT HALL
-
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Hall will repurpose the former Guyot Hall into a vibrant, interdisciplinary hub that will serve as a unified home for the Computer Science and Data Science departments. Perimeter fence installation will begin this fall in anticipation of demolition activities that will start within the building. There will be pathway changes around the existing buildings as the project progresses.
SEAS
-
The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) project, part of the Briger Hall, Commons and SEAS complex, will be the new home for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and the Omenn-Darling Biological Institute. Interior finish construction will continue this fall in addition to the completion of more outdoor spaces offering ample opportunities to connect with peers and nature.
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM
| | | |
|
CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES
As part of the University’s mission to reduce carbon emissions, the West Plant is in the process of being updated from the older gas-fired technology to electric heat pumps just like our new TIGER (Thermally Integrated Geo-Exchange Resource) facility.
Located between Theater Drive Garage and New College West, the West Plant supplies most of the University’s cooling and heating via a cogeneration facility that produces electricity, steam, and chilled water. It uses a gas turbine to generate power and captures waste heat to produce steam, achieving up to 80% efficiency. The West Plant also includes a chilled water system and a massive thermal storage tank, helping manage peak cooling demands.
Read more about the recent milestone - adding a heat pump to the West Plant - here.
|
| | | | |
PRINCETON BUILDS
SUSTAINABILITY
at the heart of it all
|
| One of the Office of Sustainability’s flagship events, the Annual Move-In Resale, returned Saturday, Sept. 6, offering gently used dorm furniture at steep discounts. The event was a success, with over 685 participants, a 33% increase from last year. | | Celebrate the start of the fall semester with a trip to the Princeton Farmer's Market! Held every Wednesday between September 3rd to October 29th, outside of the Firestone Library this year's vendors will feature empanadas, matcha tea, and more! | |
PRINCETON BUILDS
COMMUNITY
| |
PRINCETON BUILDS
WAYS TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
| | | | |
