By Dan Novak and Camila Velloso
The north entrance to the Stamp Student Union will be renovated starting in the spring to improve handicap accessibility and energy efficiency, university officials said.
The Maryland Board of Public Works advanced the $1.6 million project last month with “100 percent support from the board members,” according to Joseph Shapiro, the board’s communications director.
Construction is set to begin March 2019 and last through the summer, Stamp Associate Director Stephen Gnadt said. The renovations will address the deteriorating overhang, steps and sidewalks at the Fieldhouse Drive entrance, as well as add a weather vestibule to make the building more sustainable, he said.
“When the doors open, it lets a lot of cold air rush in during the winter, and a lot of warm air rush out,” Gnadt said, adding that even with the constant flow of traffic, a weather vestibule would minimize “the amount of energy lost through that entrance.”
Stamp currently has two entrances on the north side, one with wheelchair access and another with stairs. Following an analysis of early designs, the university’s Architectural and Landscape Review Board requested that the entire north entrance be ADA-compliant with better access to elevators, Gnadt said.
“The instructions to the design team were to go back and rework this to where a single entrance could accommodate everybody,” Gnadt said.
Dylan Hunt, a student member of the Stamp Advisory Board that oversees Stamp’s budget and projects, also said that handicap accessibility was a priority for the board since the project’s inception last year.
“It was always a point to make sure that students are able to access the building no matter who they are,” said Hunt, a government and politics senior.
Bill Olen, executive director of university facilities management, said that most of the construction will be completed over the summer break to avoid major disruptions to students and visitors. However, the north entrance will temporarily close towards the end of the spring 2019 semester, he said.
According to Gnadt, the university selected DPR Construction as the contractor, which has several offices in the region.
“By bringing the contractor on at this point, it allows them to review the plans before they’re completed and offer suggestions on constructability and the ability to find more cost-effective means of construction,” he said.
When completed, Stamp will be more visible to students coming from north campus and will hopefully lead to more involvement in student union events and initiatives, according to Hunt.
“Right now, if you’re standing on north campus looking at Stamp, you might not actually know that building is our student union,” Hunt said.