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FEATURE STORY |
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Ramapo’s Master Plan Reassessed... Revamped... and Rejuvenating the College for Future Students
In a quest to build on its reputation as the premier liberal arts institution in New Jersey, Ramapo College has undertaken a massive construction and reorganization plan. With housing and recreation needs an immediate issue, the Board of Trustees hired GBQC Architects of Philadelphia to assess the viability of master plans developed in 1974 and 1989 and to provide recommendations for uncompleted projects outlined in each.
Increasing numbers of incoming freshmen seek a residential college experience. Ramapo’s long-term goal is to achieve an 80 percent residential population. This shift increases the need for student housing, improved recreational and other amenities, additional parking, and the development of new pedestrian pathways and gathering spots. Richard M. Roberts, associate vice president for Administration and Finance, explained why the assessment was conducted. “The master plan emanates from the overall academic plan. The main question academically is, ‘How do we best serve students?’ In the context of a building program with significant capital projects we were about to embark on, including a sports and recreational facility and a housing complex for upper classmen, the trustees thought it was wise to look at it in totality, not to make short-term decisions. We wanted the long-term view.” Ramapo is not alone in again embracing its original master plan. Emory
University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Virginia
are a few of many institutions of higher learning that have also gone
back to these blueprints that offer an aesthetic sensibility to campus
design. GBQC’s charge was to review data, identify environmental limitations, consider changes made in the College’s vision and mission, and to make recommendations for the location and design for student housing and the recreation center.
A Master Planning Committee was formed to create a “wish list” and assist in determining what the campus should look like. It represented the Ramapo community of faculty, staff, and administration, as well as consultants. Members were drawn from student affairs, housing, facilities, and trustees. The consultants specialized in construction, environment, and architecture. A report issued by GBQC holds fast to the principles outlined in the
1974 plan developed by the associated architectural firms of Mahoney
and Zvosec - Kenneth DeMay. Among them: to maintain a green image from
the road, to reinforce the existing landscape rather than reshape it,
and to emphasize the main house, the pond, and existing landscaping
as major campus features.
The assessment does not diminish the proposals contained in the 1989 plan prepared by James Stewart Polshek and Partners. That plan identified a number of capital improvements and maintenance projects intended to meet Ramapo’s needs through 1996. Approximately forty-five projects were defined—fourteen have been completed and another seven are partially finished. Notable examples of completed projects include the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts; the completion of two residential facilities (Oak and Maple Halls); the completion of a child development center; a retrofit of facilities to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations governing physical access; and the partial reorganization of the main academic building. GBQC believes the unfinished projects are necessary components of any future campus development. Planning for several high-priority projects proceeded concurrently
with the assessment process. The design of new upper class housing is
underway and will consist of low-rise apartments that will house 525
with a warm and welcoming community feel. This Phase VII housing is
to be built east of the main entrance at the base of a wooded hillside.
It would satisfy housing demands through fall 2002 when completion is
expected. Planning is underway for the expansion of the sports and recreation facility. A location extending south from the existing athletic center towards the parking lots has been identified for this facility which will be attached to the present structure. The building will contain an arena facility for large campus and public events. In addition, the building will provide recreational, locker, exercise, and administrative space. The prospect of enhanced facilities is exciting to Hernandez. “These improvements will be great for the student body. Ramapo has better facilities than other campuses, but the physical education building is small and many teams use it.” He believes a number of quality students are being denied an opportunity to study at Ramapo because of the shortage of housing. “The new housing will increase the number of residential students. It will better the school.” “We’re excited because Phase VII will provide apartment-style housing to upper classmen and will offer a transition to what they will need when they graduate,” said Pamela M. Bischoff, vice president for the Office of Student Affairs and a member of the Master Planning Committee. “Ramapo is located in a metropolitan area, yet it is isolated. The recreation center is necessary. It will be an activities and gathering place for students and faculty. It will also draw students who are not varsity-based to recreation and sports activities.” Another recommendation is to make the campus more accessible and inviting to students. Kameron Pond, located east of the core, is a central feature of the campus yet remains underutilized, in part, due to years of built-up silt. Plans call for the pond to be dredged—a first step in developing this area as a focal point for student activity. GBQC recommends that a utility tunnel be built to place the steam and chilled water lines below grade. This would provide more usable outdoor space around the Robert A. Scott Student Center and academic building. Also proposed is a facelift to the plaza adjacent to C-Wing with new paving materials, foliage, site furnishings, and potential modifications to building facades. Areas targeted as likely locations to boost student interaction are between the George T. Potter Library and the student center and near the Pine/Linden housing complex and the academic core. Not all of the improvements hinge on the master plan. There is ongoing office and classroom reorganization and reconfiguration. For instance, high-tech, tiered classrooms are being built. “The space reorganization of existing buildings is in response to demands for more labs, seminar rooms, and classrooms,” said Roberts. The assessment revealed several environmental challenges. GBQC’s report indicated that wetlands and other environmental issues place significant limitations on development. “If you look at the plan, it is extremely respectful of the physical environment,” said Roberts. “There were proposals that infringed more on the wooded areas and wetlands. This plan minimizes the impact to the environment while addressing the real needs of students.” Kohlhas said that an environmental impact study is required by the state. New Jersey state aerial data helped identify areas of wetlands. “We began to realize the potential impact on building, especially student housing, which has a large footprint in the plan.” Ramapo engaged White Environmental Services, Inc. to perform a field delineation of wetlands. In calculating the average, an environmental engineer examines the flora, fauna, and soil. In exchange for reducing the buffer zone to eleven feet, buffer zones in other wetlands areas are extended. During the reassessment, Ramapo’s environmental sciences faculty identified a portion of undeveloped woods as old growth forest, which warrants special protection. White Environmental Services identified and located all healthy trees over three feet in diameter in the wooded area. As a result, an area has been designated as old growth and separated from the potentially developable woodland. Another concern was evidence of historic artifacts. Kohlhas said the state requires archeological surveys to be conducted when there is a record of historic activity. “There are some areas of the campus that have historic significance, especially near the stream beds of Darlington Creek,” Kohlhas said. He believes the area warrants a visual observation and test digging before excavation begins. However, if evidence of historic tools and artifacts were found, it would probably affect the timetable of the construction, not the construction itself. “Each project, as it proceeds, will comply with archeological requirements of the state.” “The physical plant compliments a quality faculty and program and serves to attract and retain students,” noted Roberts. “If it’s done right, it helps to serve the goal and mission of the College.” Done right, it would be consistent with Ramapo’s goal of transforming itself from a “regional gem” into a “national jewel.”
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Ramapo sophomore, Pedro Hernandez, a high achieving student, volleyball team member, and campus resident from West New York, in many ways epitomizes the trend of Ramapo students—hard working, athletic-minded, actively involved, and looking for the learning experience of living on campus. When the College recently unveiled its reassessed Master Plan this spring, it was with students like Pedro in mind.
