Johns Hopkins Facilities and Real Estate (JHFRE) began a major waterproofing and repair project on Krieger Hall in May that will fence off the Breezeway and other portions of the Keyser Quad until August 2017.
Not only will students have to find alternate paths to get to their classes in the upcoming school year, but a number of activities that normally take place on the Keyser Quad, including Lighting of the Quads and orientation events, will also be relocated. The News-Letter interviewed Jim Peach, associate director of design and construction at JHFRE, to discuss the impact of the project on the student body.
Because the Breezeway will be blocked off, students and faculty will have to find new routes to classes by using various way-finding signs that will be placed around the site. Peach wrote that although it may be inconvenient, the project is necessary to maintain the stability of Krieger Hall and protect the property inside the building.
“This project is a major one. There’s no getting around that,” Peach wrote in an e-mail to The News-Letter. “There’s also no getting around doing this work to keep Krieger Hall and the colonnade safe, serviceable and in good repair.”
Construction will last the entire 2016-2017 school year, mainly because of the project’s scope and the size of Krieger Hall. The Breezeway will be completely disassembled in order to stabilize the walkway, which will extend time that it will take to repair the building and colonnade.
“The scale and duration of the job has much to do with how large the building is, two and one half floors of Krieger are below grade, and that entire portion requires a new waterproofing system. This will require a large excavation,” Peach wrote. “The [Breezeway] needs to be disassembled, foundations beneath it repaired and waterproofed. The entire structure must then be reassembled, using many of the original stone components. It is work that requires a great deal of careful planning and execution.”
Since the Krieger repair project is so extensive, it will involve noisy work with jackhammers, dump trucks and saw-cutting on Keyser Quad. However, Peach stressed that this is not the first time the JHFRE has taken on major construction projects on campus, and he wrote that the student body should be able to adjust to the noise and path changes.
“We’ve had a number of major projects on campus in the recent past, including the construction of brand new buildings like Mason Hall and the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories,” Peach wrote. “Our experience is that students, faculty and staff at Homewood understand the necessity for disruptive work on campus from time to time, and they adapt. We very much appreciate that flexibility.”
With regards to anticipated student, faculty and administration reactions to the disruption on Keyser Quad, Peach emphasized that the repair project had been planned in continuous conversation with the University’s schools, departments and administration. As a result, he believes that JHFRE will undertake the repair project with their concerns in mind.
“In planning this project’s construction over the past 12 months, we’ve worked closely with the departments in Krieger Hall, as well as those who have a presence on or near the Keyser Quad; KSAS, WSE, Housing, Sheridan Libraries, Student Events, and other stakeholders,” Peach wrote. “We’ll continue to be open to their feedback as the project goes forward.”
Peach is confident that once the entire project is over, students and faculty will be happy with the various improvements to Krieger Hall and the Breezeway.
“When it’s over, we’ll all be able to celebrate working and studying again in Krieger Hall and enjoying the colonnade, both of which will be in good shape for generations to come,” Peach wrote.
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