Many students consider construction on campus a ubiquitous enterprise. All year, fences have cordoned off the Barnum Family Center, located near the Clock Tower; Stanford Stadium has been under construction since the end of the football season; and, perhaps most noticeably, Wilbur Field was sacrificed in the name of a subterranean parking lot being built in conjunction with the Munger Graduate Residences.

What many students may not realize, however, is that this construction will continue when exams are over in a couple weeks. In fact, the pace of work will increase as hundreds of people will labor over the summer to complete various projects around campus in time for students’ arrival at the beginning of fall quarter.

According to Director of Project Management Jack Cleary, the $5.3 million renovation of the Barnum Family Center will be complete in September. The building will belong to the School of Education and will officially be home to the Barnum Family Center for School and Community Partnerships.

In the past, the building served as the campus bookstore from its construction in 1913 until 1960, when it became the Western Civilization Library until 1967. The building then housed the Career Development Center until a 2001 fire made it uninhabitable.

The $90 million overhaul of Stanford Stadium will be finished in time for the first home game of the 2006 football season, on Sept. 16 versus Navy. Unlike the old stadium — which was constructed in 1921 and had 85,500 seats — the new arena will seat only 50,000 but will situate fans closer to the field.

Roble Hall will be closed this summer for the third and final installment of the Capital Improvement Project, which will include upgrades to many rooms and bathrooms, as well as the lounge and the theater. These improvements will cost $18 million and will be finished by October, Cleary said.

The $25 million renovation of Old Union will be finished in December and will transform the building into a true student center. After its construction in 1922, Old Union housed multiple dining rooms and other student space, but was converted into administrative offices after the completion of Tresidder Memorial Union in 1967.

The new Old Union will house a large living room area, a cafe and space for ASSU offices and meeting rooms on the first floor. The Office of Student Affairs and more student workspace will occupy the second floor and the Office of Religious Life will use the third floor of the building.

In an email to The Daily, Cleary detailed the on-campus construction that will occur over the summer, pointing out other projects that will begin in the next couple of months.

“Approximately $250 million in construction will be underway on campus by the time students return in the fall,” he said. “In addition, ground will break this June on the Munger Graduate Residences and the Environment and Energy Building, which is the first of four buildings planned for the new Science and Engineering Quad 2.”

Many students accept constant construction as an inevitable part of Stanford campus life, and generally see the development as an improvement to the University.

“Stanford undergoing construction is kind of like those people who go on those extreme makeover TV shows,” said junior Andrew Gay.