In the spirit of last summer’s major renovation of Old Union, the University is embarking on another major construction project this summer — this time in White Plaza.

“Students have been polling to improve White Plaza to make it more student-oriented for a number of years,” said Cathy Blake, assistant director and University landscape architect at the Stanford University Architect & Planning Office. “After renovating Old Union, there was a lot of momentum from students, faculty and staff to construct in White Plaza as well.”

“The President of the University committed part of the presidential fund to support this project,” Blake added.

According to Blake, construction in White Plaza will begin on June 16 and end shortly before New Student Orientation 2008 begins on Sept. 14.

“There were five main reasons why we wanted to renovate Old Union,” Blake said. “To make it safer in terms of traffic, to make it more organized, to create more shade, to create more performance locations and to give White Plaza more of an identity on campus.”

The White Plaza construction project, officially titled the “Campus Center Exterior Space Plan,” will significantly change the layout and feel of White Plaza.

According to the Executive Summary of the renovation plan, construction will “clarify and improve circulation, reduce asphalt, consolidate small pieces of unusable lawns and landscape, create improved outdoor paces suitable for the various programs identified by the users and generally upgrade the appearance of the outdoor spaces.”

Trees will be added at intervals in the plaza to create more shade, and concrete blocks will be added for seating purposes. Grass fields will be consolidated into one large park-like central open space between Old Union and the Bookstore. Pedestrian sidewalks will also be constructed to create more regularity and organization in traffic along White Plaza.

“This construction project will improve bicycle and pedestrian safety at White Plaza,” said Kelly Rohlfs, project manager at the Department of Project Management. “Pedestrians can now walk on the sidewalks, and bikes will no longer be criss-crossing through White Plaza. Instead, there will be a centralized blow of bicycles.”

Group bicycle parking will be constructed at the four entry points into White Plaza to encourage bikers to leave their bikes behind and continue on foot.

An outdoor raised stage will also be built attached to the side of Dinkelspiel Auditorium.

In the construction period, White Plaza will be fenced off. Detour routes, however, will allow students and visitors to reach Tresidder, Old Union, the bookstore and the Stanford Post Office.

“All businesses will remain open during construction,” said Eva Leavitt, administrative associate at the University Architect & Planning Office.

During renovation, students will easily be able to access the bike shop and pedestrian crossings will connect Tresidder and the Stanford Bookstore to Old Union. From the Tresidder parking lot, students will have to go through Braun Music Center to reach the post office and the Bookstore.

“People will have to walk longer distances around the job site to get to these locations,” Rohlfs said. “But there will be signs on the fences directing people where to walk.”

“The newly renovated White Plaza will accommodate all the current programming that occurs there now,” Blake said.