Construction ramped up across campus over the summer as Binghamton University continues to make progress on existing projects and break ground on others.

According to Facilities Management, the University has made progress on several construction projects, like clearing the site for a new lecture hall located across from the Academic Complex, building an addition to the East Gym and constructing new residence halls. Other projects, like installing a new turf field at Mountainview College and renovating chemistry teaching labs in Science 2, were completed over the summer.

The University began construction to improve and expand residential living for students on campus. Oneida Hall, a residential dorm building that housed first-year students in College-in-the-Woods, was shut down over the summer and will undergo renovations to remove asbestos and install new flooring, ceilings and bathrooms. Construction is expected to be complete by the fall of 2026.

A new residential hall will also be built between Mountainview College and College-in-the-Woods. Expected to house about 350 students, the project is slated to be completed by the summer of 2027.

These projects come as the University saw a record-breaking 74,725 students apply this year.

“As student needs have evolved over the years, so have the residence halls we have constructed,” Casey Wall, the director of Residential Life & Housing at BU, wrote to Pipe Dream. “This new residence hall will provide suite style housing, much like Mountainview College, while providing more single room options.”

“There will be a good amount of social space, in addition to study space,” Wall continued.

Renovations at the East Gym also made significant progress over the summer, with completion expected next fall. The 75,000-square-foot addition will include an expanded fitness center, three gym courts and an elevated running track.

Closer to the heart of campus, construction work continues at the Plaza Deck between the Glenn G. Bartle Library and the Engineering Building to expand seating areas and improve walkways. The old Chenango Room also remains under construction. Expected to be finished in 2026, the new building will include a Panera Bread, a second story addition and an event space with outdoor seating.

“We’re looking forward to having the current Plaza Deck paver project wrapped up in a couple of months and two other large projects, the Chenango Room Addition and the East Gym Addition, within a year,” wrote Karen Fennie, the communications director for Facilities Management.

Some students have expressed frustration at the extensive construction across campus.

“I’m excited that Binghamton is making improvements to campus, but it’s tough to feel grateful knowing that the work won’t even be done by the time I graduate,” said Sara Roger-Gordon, a junior double-majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law. “It just feels a bit unfair that the memories I’ll have of campus will be accompanied by loud and ugly construction, and only future students will be the ones to reap the benefits of this work.”

Other changes completed before the semester began include updated showers and countertops in the Hillside Community and new planting installations in the Memorial Courtyard.

“Construction is never fun, but we strive to take care of critical maintenance, as is the case with the Plaza Deck project, while fulfilling programmatic/academic needs with projects such as the East Gym project and the new Lecture Hall,” Fennie concluded.