The Office of Capital Projects is currently surveying the Brandeis community to get input on how best to use the empty space created by last semester's demolition of the Friedland Science Building and the demolition of the Kalman Science Building, which will mark the completion of Phase 1 of the Science Complex Renewal Project, according to the Capital Projects website.Phase 1, which the Capital Projects website states includes the construction of the Shapiro Science Center and the demolition of Friedland and Kalman, will be completed "very shortly," said Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins in an interview with the Justice. Vice President for Capital Projects Dan Feldman said in an interview with the Justice that most of Kalman should be removed by the end of May and that the rest should be removed during the summer. Collins explained that any approved plan will be completed after the removal of Kalman is finished. Collins also said he expects the interim landscaping project to be finished by the end of the summer.

Phase 2 of the Renewal Project, which comprises a plan to construct new science buildings on the site, has been indefinitely postponed by University President Jehuda Reinharz due to budgetary constraints, said Feldman. The landscaping projects were proposed to fill the empty space left by the demolished buildings in the interim between Phases 1 and 2 created by the postponement.

Collins said, "I think we're a couple of years, minimally, away from Phase 2, ... and I would say it could be longer."

According to the Capital Projects website, the future landscaping includes a looped road on which a fire truck could turn around, as mandated by Waltham Fire Department regulations; a tree nursery; and one of three options under consideration, which include the creation of sand volleyball courts, a four-season garden and a hybrid of the two. The website also contains a link to a survey asking which of the three options people prefer.

An e-mail to the Brandeis community sent Friday afternoon by Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Apfel and Provost Marty Krauss explained, "Following the removal of Kalman, the final step will be to heal the landscape wounds, with a further goal of creating ... a usable space that can be enjoyed by the entire Brandeis community."

Feldman explained in an interview with the Justice that the University solicited plans for the space from the Science Complex Renewal Project's landscape architect, Landworks Studio, "but then we also felt like the community might have all kinds of ideas about how this space should be used."

Feldman said Capital Projects released the survey to open a discussion with the community. Capital Projects will be collecting input for a few more weeks, and depending on the feedback the department receives, additional changes may be made to the plans, he said. He said the volleyball court proposal was inspired by a similar landscaping display in Harvard University's biology quad.

Since he did not check the survey over the weekend, he said that he could not yet provide any examples of further student suggestions on alternate uses for the space.

Collins said he appreciated "that there is an effort . to try and include the community" in the decision on what to do with the space in the interim but that he was upset that none of the three options on the survey included mention of additional campus parking space.

He added, "I think that these three options are possibilities, but I'm optimistic that the feedback from faculty, staff and students will allow for the reopening ... of a discussion regarding parking."

However, according to Feldman, "A fundamental principle of the campus master plan is to foster a much more pedestrian-friendly environment. ... President Reinharz said very firmly that he did not want to see a new parking lot introduced [in that space]." Feldman agreed that some handicap and visitor parking spaces should be added to the plan, but Collins said that is "frankly not enough."

Collins said, "I was surprised that there wasn't an opportunity for people to necessarily suggest parking within the survey." He explained, "My goal is to not turn [the entire space] into a parking lot. My goal is to have some material amount of parking, . some tastefully done parking blended in amongst the rest of the stuff that's up there."

Simona Dalin '11 said of the project, "I like the ideas. I especially like the third [hybrid option], ... but I think that the volleyball courts should actually be something like a blacktop that's more multipurpose. ... Why do we have to copy Harvard?"

Harrison Bannett '11 added, "I think it's a good idea to have something there in the interim; however, why we would need sand volleyball courts when this campus is generally frozen over most of the year, I have no idea."

-Hannah Kirsch contributed reporting.