Construction to begin on academic buildings

The work on the William Oxley Thompson Library and Ohio Union might be good preparation for what Ohio State students can expect to see around campus for a long time: lots and lots of construction zones.

The area, bordered on the south by 17th Avenue, on the north by Woodruff Avenue, on the east by High Street and on the west by Tuttle Park Place, can expect to see the demolition of several buildings such as Lord Hall and Brown Hall, Alutto said. There are also plans to construct new facilities for at least five different colleges. Altogether, the developments are expected to take until 2020 to complete.

The area has been the center for a lot of progress in previous years, but Alutto said the planning for these projects has left a lot to be desired.

Currently, buildings are constructed or renovated as needs arise within each college. This has resulted in a lot of competition between colleges for building dollars and has led to the duplication of many facilities.

The new plan for the Academic Core North aims to use a more holistic, longer-term vision that will add value to the university, Alutto said.

"Within the corridor, we will focus on the academic condition of the entire area, a region of campus that accounts for about 60 percent of the instructional credit hours offered each year at this university," Alutto said. "We expect that this more-efficient and more-collaborative approach will serve as the capital planning model for the future."

Joe Miller can be reached at miller.3862@osu.edu.