Sackler Renovation
Rosie Lau, M'10
The Sackler Renovation Project has reached the final stages of its planning phase, and construction is slated to begin as early as May 2008. The reason for this early start date is the ultimate aim of having the majority of the construction finished before Class of 2012 arrives in late August. One of the key components of the new educational objectives, the establishment of learning communities, will be further realized by the completion of their physical spaces mid-August, specifically on 2nd and 3rd floors. Our beloved 4th floor café and hang out spot will be closed on May 19, 2008, and is scheduled to reopen in Nov 29, 2008 with a brand-new face-lift. Construction will be spread out into 3 phrases, with phase 1 focusing on the learning communities, OSA and OEA; phase 2 entails remodeling of the library 5th and 7th floors to include more flexible studying areas, and the 8th floor administrative offices; finally phase 3 involves mostly 1st floor spaces and installation of a basement/ground floor fitness center and MRC.
Below are the specific blueprints for how Sackler will look like in the near future:
The basement/ground floor will have a new fitness center and locker rooms and showers where Sackler A used to be. The MRC will be extended to accommodate more students. The bathrooms will remain at the same locations.
Sackler B will remain unchanged as the main auditorium. Sackler A, however, will be transformed into a large function area for conferences and events. When not in used, that can be used as a study area by students. Responding to popular demand, bathrooms will be installed in the first floor. A new designated entryway has also been designed, with security guard on duty.
The second floor will see the first two of four learning community spaces. Each learning community will have its own lounge area, kitchenette, and smaller classrooms for PBL or other teaching/studying purposes. Certain classrooms will be remodeled somewhat to sit more students for bigger groups. Outside the elevators, there will also be lockers for 200 students.
In addition to the remaining two learning community spaces, the third floor will also house the OEA, as well as more lockers for students.
One of the more noticeable changes will take place on the 4th floor. First of all, the OSA has moved here. Secondly, the café will be greatly expanded with new menu items and beverages. Kiosks will be in place throughout for quick email checking. There will be more tables and chairs in place for leisure reading, socializing, and group studying. The bridge to access Tufts Medical Center will still be in place with a security guard. There will be direct sunlight from the windows on both sides of the floor.
After the construction, 5th through 7th floor will be assessable by all elevators, instead of going through the 4th floor. The fifth floor will have the computer classrooms and smaller study rooms, as well as the addition of new classrooms that can be used to study space when not in used.
The 6th floor will remain relatively the same with the library administrative offices, and continued quiet study space.
The 7th floor will have the addition of a reading room, designed specifically for quiet study with long tables for spreading out books.
The 8th floor will look very different from before. In order to concentrate the admission process to one area, instead of using the library rooms, there will be 12 new interviewing rooms in place. These can be used by students as study space when they are not in use. The current balcony on the 8th floor will be incorporated with glass windows/walls to accommodate the interviewing rooms/reading areas. Office of Financial Aid will also be moved to the 8th floor.
In addition to these blueprints, there is plan to make the entire Sackler building wireless with a conscious increase in the number of outlets to accommodate laptops and other electronic devices. Classrooms will have projector equipment installed, and some will have movable walls to accommodate bigger crowds. Right now, one of the main concerns is study area for students, especially with the 2nd years taking their Step 1 soon. The OEA has started to compile a list of alternative study sites for students, which can be found here: https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/TheBigMove/Alternative+Study+Sites.
The blueprints are taken from the presentation given to students on April 7, 2008, which can be found here: https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/TheBigMove/Home
Finally, a good resource website regarding the renovations is http://www.tufts.edu/med/news/announcements/move2008/index.html