This has been the busiest construction season on campus in recent memory, with crews making progress on a variety of projects that are renewing and expanding undergraduate housing and upgrading athletics and performing arts facilities.
In addition, pipes and electrical duct banks are being installed as part of a campus-wide decarbonization project, which will eventually shift Dartmouth away from using fossil fuels to heat and cool campus, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
The more than $500 million that will be invested in the capital construction, part of the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative, makes the decarbonization project Dartmouth’s largest-ever infrastructure program.
“Just about everywhere you look right now, you see and hear signs of improvement that will greatly enhance this historic, yet rapidly modernizing, campus,” says Josh Keniston, senior vice president of capital planning and campus operations. “Students and faculty returning this fall will find that a lot has been accomplished. Yes, there will be some short-term inconveniences, but the long-term gains will be well worth any temporary disruptions.”
Student Affairs is ready to work with incoming students as they arrive in Hanover in the coming weeks.
“We’re excited to welcome undergraduate students for the start of the academic year. Amid the transformative work happening across campus, our Student Affairs team is dedicated to guiding students through these changes while also providing support to their families,” says Anne Hudak, co-interim dean of the College.
Construction is readily apparent at various sites, including the southwest corner of the Green, where a new porch is taking shape at the Collis Student Center as part of a $5 million upgrade there. While the porch is being transformed, the roadway between Collis and Class of 1953 Commons has been serving as an outdoor gathering spot.
Collis has remained open during construction, which is expected to be completed, but for landscaping, during fall term.
Between the Green and Lebanon Street, the $89 million renovation and expansion of the Hopkins Center for the Arts is continuing to take shape. There will be 15,000 square feet of new, and 55,000 square feet of revitalized, spaces, including a recital hall, performance lab, dance studio, and improvements in Spaulding Auditorium.
The rededication and reopening is planned for fall of 2025, with arts events and programs ramping up throughout 2026.
At the north end of the Green, the Rauner Special Collections Library has been undergoing major exterior repairs, though the scaffolding has been removed and the estimated completion date is Nov. 1.
Throughout campus, construction projects supporting Dartmouth’s decarbonization efforts are well underway. Areas currently under construction include regions surrounding East Wheelock Street, Fayerweather Hall, Ivy Lane, and south of Alumni Gym.
Drilling for a geo-exchange borefield will take place this fall on a practice field in the Athletics District.
Dartmouth is also undertaking a major housing initiative to renew undergraduate residence halls and build new apartment-style housing on West Wheelock Street, part of President Sian Leah Beilock’s pledge to add 1,000 new beds for students, faculty, and staff over the next decade.
The renovation of Zimmerman Hall and the Brace Commons social space, both of which are in the East Wheelock house community, is wrapping up soon, and a major overhaul of 120-year-old Fayerweather Hall is underway. Upgrades there will include single-use gender-neutral bathrooms, air conditioning, and more beds.
“This major renovation of undergraduate housing is going to make living spaces more modern and comfortable for our undergraduate students. It’s exciting to see this long-term vision take shape,” says Eric Ramsey, co-interim dean of the College.
On the West End of campus, Dartmouth recently purchased four properties for housing on West Wheelock Street, and also owns 25-27 West Wheelock, where site work is starting on what will be an apartment-style residence that is expected to open in 2026.
Athletics facilities are also being upgraded. Leverone Field House is getting a new roof and renewing mechanical systems. To limit disruption to the use of the building, work will be done in two phases, ending in 2025.
And on Mascoma Lake, the sailing facility features a new boathouse and barn.
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Campus Services has more information, including FAQs, about the construction in progress.
