If you think campus is a quiet and peaceful haven for faculty and graduate students during the summer, think again! From Skinker to Big Bend, the Danforth Campus is buzzing with construction activity.

As soon as Commencement ceremonies concluded, our friends from Tarlton began the first phase of renovations in Simon Hall. This will be a three-phase project taking place over summer breaks to limit disruption during the academic year. The eastern half of Simon Hall is currently undergoing major demolition and re-configuration. As you can see in the video, May Auditorium, Flag Hallway, and the Kopolow Library are going to be transformed. The new BSBA offices, student lounge, and Einstein’s will be more open and spacious when everyone returns in the fall.

Sounds of drilling and hammering can also be heard inside Knight Hall and Bauer Hall, where the Bellwether classroom is being completed and the new café and much-anticipated Starbucks Café are being built.

To our west, crews are preparing the site for the new Sumers Recreation Center located on the south side of Francis Gymnasium, which will also undergo a major interior rejuvenation. Brown School’s new building is rising out of the ground to the east and you see several projects in between. Summer is construction season on campus!

I am looking forward to welcoming everyone back to campus in August and showing you our beautiful, renewed spaces for studying and collaborating with your peers and professors. In the meantime, enjoy your summer internships, research, and travels.