For Students / Families

What's happening with these on-campus construction projects? 

It's an exciting time at Dartmouth, as the institution is making significant investments in critical areas such as energy and housing. While you currently see various stages of construction, once completed these projects will all help Dartmouth reach our goals of zero carbon operations by 2050 and 1,000 new beds over the next decade. 

What specifically is being done? 

Much of the work you see surrounds the installation of piping and electrical duct banks in multiple locations that will enable Dartmouth to transition from steam to hot-water heating using geo-exchange technology. It's an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint in a lasting way and is part of the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative, which is our commitment to address climate change and sustainability on campus and beyond. You can read more about the collaborative here. The residence hall renovation projects you see are part of a generational housing renewal effort that's designed to renovate undergraduate housing on or within walking distance of Dartmouth. Here's additional information on our housing commitment. 

Why is it happening all at once rather than being done in phases? 

Our larger projects related to distribution piping and housing are being completed in phases, but they also are linked as a component of our residence hall renewal projects includes preparation of infrastructure for the transition away from fossil fuels. In addition, much of our infrastructure is more than 100 years old and in need of repair and modernization. Rather than sinking resources into outdated and inefficient systems, we're taking this opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint in a lasting way through a comprehensive geo-exchange system.  

What is the impact to students? 

The distribution piping work will be done in sections, and minor disruptions will include sidewalk and crosswalk closings and occasional minor impacts to traffic patterns. While efforts are being made to reduce the impact across campus, some benches and bike racks will be temporarily removed, and some landscaping will be affected. During housing renewal construction, the Office of Residential Life has identified additional undergraduate housing options.  

With all the construction going on, will it be quiet enough for students to sleep and study? 

Our project managers work closely with construction crews to ensure that noisy exterior work near residence halls takes place, as much as possible, during set hours (between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.). Project managers also help ensure that Residential Operations teams are aware of planned construction, so it can be communicated to students through appropriate channels.   

What is the impact for move-in?  

Our Student Affairs and Residential Life teams are hard at work making sure your student's move-in experience will be positive—whether your student is arriving on campus for the first time or returning for another great year. To ensure you know what to expect before you leave home, we're planning to distribute helpful logistics information around issues such as navigating to residence halls and drop-off locations. You'll also discover that in-person teams will be on hand to help direct traffic, facilitate the move-in process, answer questions, and offer any type of assistance that's needed.  

Is it safe for students to be moving in items amidst all the construction? 

Yes. Student safety is our highest priority. We are coordinating with teams from Project Management, Environmental Health and Safety, Safety and Security, and other campus organizations to ensure that construction areas around residence halls are secure and safe for pedestrian access during move-in.  

Will any campus activities be curtailed because of construction? 

All campus activities will continue as planned, offering Dartmouth students a rich array of programs and events. Chase Field, the athletic field east of South Park Street, will be the first area of campus to have a major geothermal well field—which effectively uses the subsurface of the Earth as a thermal battery for buildings—and the Athletics District is expected to be home to the heat pump plant. Some disruption is expected, but Dartmouth will mitigate the disruption, which will include noise-control measures, traffic control, and the management of excess water potentially generated during the drilling process.   

I've been assigned to Summit on Juniper. How will I get to the main campus for class and other activities?

To help you get to where you need to be, Dartmouth has developed a robust transportation plan that includes a variety of free shuttles. We've included details below: 

• Dartmouth Campus Connector: This free shuttle service enables travel throughout areas of Dartmouth's campus, so you can get to class, residences, athletics facilities, and more.  

  • We've also created a designated shuttle—Summit on Juniper (SOJ) Campus Connector—that runs seven days a week and makes stops at core campus locations and Summit on Juniper housing.  

  • To help accommodate early morning activities, we've added Summit on Juniper service that starts at 5 a.m. during the week and 6 a.m. on weekends. 

  • You can find the full schedule here, along with other transportation information. We encourage you to use the route map and bus tracker to determine the best way to reach your destination. In addition, all stops on campus feature QR codes to help you track the next shuttle.   

• Advance Transit: This fare-free Dartmouth/Downtown Shuttle provides weekday loop service between core campus locations, downtown Hanover, Thompson Parking Lot, and Dewey Parking Lot. The shuttle runs every seven minutes between 7 – 10 a.m. and 3 – 7 p.m.; and every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. You can find a schedule and trackers here. 

For more information on transportation-related topics, take a look at our Transportation page. Please contact Transportation Services with any questions. 

I will be living in East Wheelock, but it looks like construction is still going on. How will I access the various buildings? 

As you may know, Dartmouth is making a generational investment in housing renewal with plans to renovate most undergraduate residence halls over the next 15 years.   

Renovation was completed last summer on Andres Hall, and Morton Hall was fully renovated in 2017. Work on Zimmerman Hall is nearly complete and will add single and double rooms, single-user all-gender restrooms, a new elevator, study spaces, and student lounges. Renovations of Zimmerman and Andres halls will add a total of 24 new beds for students. In addition, you and your fellow students living in these halls will be the first Dartmouth students to have access controls on doors to your individual rooms, so you will not need to pick up keys. More details will be shared shortly on how these access control doors will work. 

Work on Brace Commons, the House Center for the East Wheelock House Community, has been delayed, and you will not be able to access the upper-level plaza deck by fall move-in dates. We have provided a map, which shows how you should access Andres, Morton, McCulloch, and Zimmerman halls via the lower level of Brace Commons while construction continues.  

• Andres Hall will be accessed by the south entrance.  

• Morton Hall access is via the west entrance.   

• McCulloch Hall access is either the north or south entry door. 

• Zimmerman Hall access will be the north entrance, which takes you to the lower-level south entrance of Brace Commons. Once inside the space, access to the upper floors of Zimmerman is via the Zimmerman elevator. You will also be able to enter Zimmerman through the south entrance of Brace Commons. Ivy Lane will be open for access. 

We have included a map here of access points for the East Wheelock House Community. 

We will contact you once a completion date for Brace Commons is identified.