As finals week approaches and the semester comes to an end, the geothermal well-drilling and distribution piping projects that have been in progress on campus for the past few months are also near completion. A fresh slate of construction initiatives remains on the horizon for the summer recess. In order to provide readers with a better grasp of the work that has taken place throughout the academic year and to inform summer residents about what they can expect in the coming months, The Phoenix spoke with Associate Vice President of Sustainable Facilities Operations Andy Feick about the ongoing and planned construction happening around campus.
1. Lawns Will be Back
In the coming weeks, the college plans to restore the lawns affected by the second phase of well-drilling, which includes the Parrish Beach areas in front of McCabe Library, Clothier Hall, and the Dining and Community Commons (DCC). Feick noted that this would mark the end of all the well-drilling work for the college’s To Zero By Thirty-Five (20X35) energy plan.
Unlike the approach taken with Mertz Lawn after the first round of drilling—where grass seed was spread across the area—the facilities team has opted to lay sod this time in order to establish the new lawn more quickly. Since sod is less susceptible to erosion and rain than seeds, Feick said they would be able to remove the fences and silt socks around those lawns as soon as the sod is in place. Then, once the sod has fully rooted in the underlying soil—which is projected to take place during the fall semester—the surrounding stakes and ropes will be taken down as well, allowing people to access the lawns as before.
2. Corridor to Benjamin West House Reopens in August
The implementation of the piping system for heating-and-cooling distribution is a long-term project central to the college’s 20X35 energy plan. These underground pipes connect the geoexchange plant, which sits in the basement of the DCC, to buildings across the campus.
The piping connecting buildings on the east side of campus, which extends as far as the Benjamin West House, is now basically in place. This means that the construction along the corridor that links Magill Walk to Benjamin West House, and passes McCabe Library, Old Tarble, and the Worth Health Center, is nearing completion. Before the fenced-off corridor reopens in August, the school will take the opportunity to upgrade it with cobblestone edges and improved lighting, making the walkway resemble the path from Singer Circle to Parrish Hall.
“It’ll be a much nicer visitor entrance experience, since we direct most of our admissions visitors to the Ben West Parking Lot. It’ll look like a proper entrance to the campus and not like just a road that people are walking on,” Feick said.
3. SEPTA ADA Construction Continues, Expected to Finish in November
SEPTA has been undertaking a renovation program around the train station since Nov. 3, 2025, installing accessibility ramps on platforms on both sides of the rail — a project required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although the work is being carried out by SEPTA rather than the college, Feick told The Phoenix that a construction delay has pushed the original completion date back from spring to November.
“They [SEPTA] had to re-engineer [the construction on] this whole side that’s closest to Alice Paul and David Kemp, because they found conditions that were different than they expected,” he said.
4. New Post Office Opens in June
The Post Office relocation project is in its final stages, expected to be completed after Alumni Weekend in early June. The old Delta Upsilon fraternity house will host both the campus mail services and One-Card Center, which will significantly reduce external vehicle traffic in the central part of campus.
“It’s a small project, but I think it’s going to be really impactful, because we have so much vehicular traffic that goes in that really crowded corridor between Parrish and Kohlberg, and there’s all these deliveries constantly with Amazon packages and everything going in and out of there,” Feick commented. “It’s going to take a whole lot of vehicle traffic out of that very busy pedestrian area of campus.”
5. Distribution Piping in South Campus, Fieldhouse Lane Temporarily Reduced to a Single Shared Road in the Summer
Another 20X35-related project starting this summer will install distribution piping in the south part of the campus, on the other side of the regional train tracks from the main campus. The piping will extend under the tracks and connect to buildings like Tarble Pavilion, the Lamb-Miller Field House, Ware Pool, and the Matchbox Fitness Center. “So the south side of the regional rail track is going to be really, really busy this summer,” Feick said.
Although the work won’t be done until the fall or winter, the construction team will start laying the piping in the ground gradually over this summer, when the area sees lower traffic.
The renovation team will demolish the storage building — where cleaning supplies are kept — next to the steam plant in order to extend the piping to Palmer, Pittenger, and Roberts. This will result in a partial closure of a portion of the Fieldhouse Lane during the summer, changing the two-way lane temporarily to a single lane, with flaggers on each end of the portion directing traffic. In addition, a new storage building will be constructed across from the Matchbox.
6. Cornell Library, Worth Hall, the Black Culture Center, and Wharton Hall
Cornell Library will be closed for the entire summer due to the installation of a new heating and cooling system that will connect it to the geoexchange plant, along with other cosmetic upgrades. The building is expected to reopen before classes start.
Worth Hall, a dormitory constructed in the 1920s, will also undergo phased renovations this summer and during the coming academic year. The project will connect the building to the geoexchange plant and add air conditioning.
The Black Culture Center (BCC), similarly, will be connected to the geoexchange system, and a new elevator will be installed.
Renovation work will continue at Wharton Hall, another historic residence hall dating back to 1913. This summer, the college will continue replacing its windows, as well as terracotta coping stones on the exterior around windows and soffits. Interior upgrades—including new lighting and flooring, a new fire alarm system, and replaced piping—have also been underway. “We’ve been working on it for the last two summers,” Feick said.
“Wharton Hall needed so much that we had to break it up over three summers, and this is the last summer of work for Wharton Hall, thank goodness.”
Further west, Dana and Hallowell Halls will gain a One-card access system for all dorms over this summer, replacing traditional, physical-key-based locks.
7. Other Campus Renewal Projects in the South Campus
A number of additional renewal projects are planned for the south side of campus this summer. The Ware Pool will be replastered, new lighting will be installed within the pool, and a new heating and cooling system will be implemented. The facility is expected to reopen in September. The baseball field will also have pre-assembled new dugouts installed over the summer; construction will likely conclude before baseball resumes training.
The path connecting Fieldhouse Lane and Harvard Avenue will have new lighting, following requests from students living in Mary Lyon who found this road too dark when they walked back to their dorm in the night.
Next week, a campus-wide email from Feick will cover Swarthmore’s construction update more comprehensively.
