Image by Ed Brennen A redone staircase to the Grande Tomaney Plaza outside the Manning School of Business was just one of the many campus improvement projects completed by the Facilities Management department this summer.
Change is brewing on South Campus this fall, as students, faculty and staff will soon have a new coffee option at O’Leary Library.
Caribou Coffee, a Minnesota-based coffeehouse chain with more than 800 locations in 11 countries, is replacing Starbucks on the library’s first floor. The new cafe is expected to open in mid-September and will serve signature lattes, mochas, cold brews, energy drinks, teas, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods.
The cafe update is among dozens of projects that Facilities Management worked on across campus this summer, from refreshed dining and lounge spaces to residence hall upgrades and classroom improvements.
The largest project underway remains the multiyear modernization of the Olney Science Center on North Campus.
Students returning this fall will see temporary walls and ongoing construction around the building as crews continue work on a new 51,300-square-foot addition, as well as renovations tied to the existing building. The project includes a dozen new physics, chemistry and weather labs, a 160-seat auditorium and common spaces for students to hang out and study.
Image by Facilities Management The new wing of the Olney Science Center is scheduled to open next fall.
During construction, accessible routes remain available around Olney. The outdoor stairway from the North Campus parking garage to the Kennedy Family Athletic Center is expected to reopen by Nov. 3, in time for basketball season.
Elsewhere on North Campus, the student lounge in the lower level of Southwick Hall has been refreshed with new furniture, and student engineering projects from the Kinematics of Mechanisms course now decorate the walls.
A new student lounge has been added at the third-floor connection of Falmouth and Dandeneau halls, while Falmouth classrooms 309, 311 and 313 have been fully renovated.
Electric vehicle drivers will also soon have a faster place to charge up on North Campus. Through a grant of nearly $1 million, UMass Lowell is preparing to install its first four DC fast chargers in the Standish Street parking lot behind the Pulichino Tong Business Center. The chargers can recharge most EVs to about 80% capacity in as little as 15 to 30 minutes and will add to the university’s existing network of 40 Level 2 charging ports across campus.
Image by Ed Brennen The student lounge in the lower level of Southwick Hall on North Campus has been redesigned with new furniture and student artwork on the walls.
Back on South Campus, a $2 million project is wrapping up at Sheehy Hall with upgrades to the main entry, lobby and fire alarm system. At Concordia Hall, crews replaced the hot water system and roof, while Weed Hall received updates to histology and tissue culture labs on the third floor and a new accessible chair lift in the main lecture hall.
At the Moloney Performing Arts Center, the Durgin Concert Hall stage has a new acoustic shell, while new outdoor seating has been added in the plaza in front of the building. The lobby outside the Comley-Lane Theatre at Mahoney Hall has also been revamped with elegant new furniture.
For students who get around campus by electric scooter, covered micromobility charging stations have been added on North, South and East campuses, with power meters being added to track usage.
Some projects are meant to support larger changes still to come. On East Campus, planning is underway for the demolition of three vacant properties connected to the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, or LINC, including: the former Ames building at 720 Suffolk Street; the former Tsongas facilities garage at 152 River Place and the former auto parts store at 90-92 Hall Street. Demolition work is expected to begin later in the year.
Image by Ed Brennen Visitors to the Comley-Lane Theatre at Mahoney Hall on South Campus will notice a more elegant vibe in the lobby.