Wednesday, October 15, 1997
Plaza inches closer to completion
CONSTRUCTION When the dust clears, facility will house dining
hall, auditorium
By Caroline M. Bontia
Daily Bruin Contributor
Much to the inconvenience of students living in the northwest
corner of campus, 10-foot wire fences have begun to intercept their
daily path to Bruin Walk.
But it’s for a reason. UCLA is raising the roof on a $72 million
housing project designed to strengthen the bridge between students
and their academic environment.
The "DeNeve Plaza Complex," to be located adjacent to Dykstra
Hall and bordered by Gayley Avenue, is the latest addition towards
the aggressive move to provide additional student housing.
The undergraduate housing complex, scheduled for completion by
late summer 1999, includes six residential buildings that will
provide 1,300 beds, a 900-seat dining facility and a lecture
auditorium.
"Statistically, studies have shown that students in residence,
versus students who commute from home, graduate sooner, pursue
advanced degrees of work and have higher levels of satisfaction.
Residence halls really augment the education experience," said Mike
Foraker, director of housing.
"This is an aggressive policy to move away from a commuter
campus. The objective of urban design was to decrease the drive and
create a campus community," said Marc Fisher, director of design
for Capital Programs.
"This will provide an opportunity to strengthen the academic
environment," Fisher explained.
Officials say that the latest construction does not necessarily
signify an increase in student population.
Currently, the demand for on-campus housing has exceeded 600
bedspaces in the past three years, from incoming freshmen, as well
as returning and transfer students.
The project will include the integration of student living
quarters and 12 faculty apartments.
"This is a fairly dense development, bringing large numbers of
students to the northwest area of campus," said Dean Perton,
principal project manager for Capital Programs.
"The primary goal is to accommodate and enhance student
experience by integrating student and faculty population," Perton
said.
The main teaching facility, tentatively labelled the "Podium
Building," will serve as the base center of the six residence halls
and the main teaching facility.
Newly-designed academic programs for freshmen will be taught at
the lecture hall.
"The idea is for a multipurpose auditorium. With as much as 92
percent of freshmen in residence halls, we want to bring a closer
connection with residents to the academic program, by bringing
faculty to their home," said Judith Smith, vice provost for
undergraduate education in the College of Letters and Science.
Among the other features of the complex will be cooking
operations similar to those at Rieber and Hedrick halls, a
television studio, meeting rooms and administration offices.
Affirming that safety precaution is the university’s primary
concern, Foraker said that during construction, safety measures
will be first priority to protect faculty, students, staff and
visitors.
"Beyond that there are certain things for the good of the
community that are an inconvenience now. But these are short term
dividends for future generations of students," Foraker said.