The RPI Tunnels:An underground connection

5/13/2015Design, culture, and SocietyBy: Sara Bischof and Emma Feroce

Getting up on a cold, blistering February morning is tough. The first thing I do when my alarm

goes off is glance out the window to see what kind of elements I will be facing today. Here in Troy, I

usually see snow, rain, strong winds, or a mean combination of the three. Sitting back in bed I think

about how this will make my walk to class seem longer and harsher than it should be. Students

throughout New York State and the northeast experience this foul weather almost throughout the

entire year but especially in the winter. Students just like me face this issue every morning. Many of

them even decide to skip class in order to avoid this weather. As I finally drag myself out of bed and

come to terms with the walk ahead, I, for a moment, consider taking the shuttle. But they are unreliable

because they have just as much trouble, if not more, in the elements as I do. They also only contain a

limited number of seats and on a morning like this the chance of taking a shuttle that is on time and has

enough room is doubtful. Ideally I would like to get to class as quickly and comfortably as possible. I have

already spent more time than I should thinking about all this so now my only choice is to grab a couple

jackets, add another pair of sweatpants and venture out into this winter wonderland. A cup of hot

chocolate mixed with coffee also sounds good right about now….

What if there was a way to encourage students to attend class during the heartless New York

winters while simultaneously tying together existing and impressive designs such as EMPAC, ECAV, West

Hall, and The Armory in a way that is beneficial to the entire RPI community? The solution is to improve

and expand the RPI tunnel system.

We both felt that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could greatly benefit from improving and

expanding the tunnels and we wanted to reach out to other students in order to see if they felt the

same. We made a survey and sent it to students via Facebook. We asked 3 simple questions in addition

to providing the option to give us more feedback about community benefits for the tunnels. A copy of

the survey is shown below.

The results of the first question are shown in the pie chart in

figure 1. Evidence shows that majority of the students walk to class as

opposed to taking the shuttle or driving. Cleaning up and improving

the existing tunnels and then expanding the overall tunnel system is

key because over half of the students have to walk to class in these

severe weather conditions. From question two we found that the

majority of students said they would use the tunnels to get to class therefore enhancing the existing

tunnels and expanding the system would be a beneficial investment. Lastly, we asked if students

realized that there are tunnels on campus. We expected people to not know about the tunnels but

surprisingly the majority said they were aware. This shows that people are aware of the tunnels but are

unable to use them due to their current condition and accessibility which will be discussed later when

we examine our experimental research using the tunnels. If we had done another question, an

important one could be: Do you currently use the tunnels to get to class? We decided to go to the

tunnels ourselves and see the people, and lack thereof that use the

tunnels to get to class. After the students thought about these

questions we then let them type their own responses as to how these

tunnels would benefit the RPI community. Most students related their

answers to weather. We received answers such as, “it would be really

nice to be able to avoid the winds that would make walking to class

miserable” and “more people would leave their dorms during the harsh weather conditions”. If students

were less “miserable” on the way to class they would be able to enjoy class and focus on learning rather

than their rain soaked clothing. If students left their dorms more that would enhance culture and

community because people would be interacting more instead of isolating themselves. These answers

helped us validate our own thoughts about why we believed RPI would benefit from the tunnels.

Along with our peer’s answers regarding how the tunnel solution would shelter them from the

brutal weather, we thought of some additional ways to improve and expand the tunnels that would

“It would be really nice to be able to avoid the winds that would make walking to class miserable”

benefit the community as a whole. We discussed adding different features in order to increase

popularity among the students on campus. Features include coffee kiosks, murals, and possibly music in

the tunnels. These simple but effective enhancements would encourage community and overall

happiness for students and staff. In order to expand our research we went past the statistics and out

into the field to explore the tunnels for ourselves.

We explored the tunnels on April, 14th 2015 around 2 p.m. We knew of two tunnels: one leading

from the Johnson Engineering Center (JEC) to the Darren Community Center (DCC) and one from JEC to

Jonsson-Rowland Science Center (JROWL). Finding the tunnel from DCC to JEC was difficult even though

Sara been in them before. After a few minutes of roaming around the basement of the DCC and not

having much luck, we decided to enter through the JEC. We took the elevator to the bottom floor and

took two immediate lefts and found a promising sign that says “Tunnel to the communication center”!

We were not expecting to see anyone because it was a

beautiful, sunny Tuesday afternoon but as soon as we started

walking around the tunnel and taking pictures we saw someone.

We got excited and started asking him questions such as, “do

you use the tunnel a lot” of which his only response was, “yes”

before he bolted past us. We were both in shock that we had

seen a person because we were not expecting to see anyone.

Less than thirty seconds pass before another guy walked

through. We were more prepared this time because were not in

shock so we asked him what year he was (sophomore), if he uses the tunnels a lot (yes), and why he

uses the tunnels (just to get to and from class). When we went in for the golden question of what would

you like to see more of in the tunnels (such as art or coffee shops) he whipped out his phone and said he

really was late and needed to get to class and ran off. We looked at our phones and it was still well

before 3. No sooner did this underground sophomore blow us off did we look down and an interesting

sign.

This is an interesting sign. And I don’t think he wanted to be friends with us. As we continue to take

pictures of the design and observe the smell, temperature, and overall atmosphere, Sara’s thermals and

fluids II teaching assistant walked by. We said hi to him and asked him if he uses the tunnels frequently.

He said when he is in his office in the basement of JEC, he does use the tunnel to get to JEC because of

convenience. There was one last male for a total of four males in less than ten minutes but we did not

bother him because we felt we had already pushed our luck. From the ten minutes we were taking

pictures and exploring the tunnels, we got the notion that the people that use the tunnels want to avoid

human interaction.

Next we saw posters on the walls. The student government

election was coming up and people were hanging up their posters

all around campus. We were surprised to see them in the DCC

tunnel because we did not think people used the tunnels

therefore there would be no need to advertise there. People that

were running for the president of the union and GM thought

differently or they would not have put their posters down there to

begin with. This was the most surprising observation of the

exploration.

Next we went to find the JEC to JROWL tunnel. We went back to the bottom floor of the JEC and

took our second left after getting off the elevator, one hallway past the DCC tunnel entrance. There we

saw another sign. We were a surprised by the metal gate that was at the entrance of this tunnel. We

were able to pull the gate across the entrance and lock it as shown in the picture below. This tunnel was

dirty and lifeless. The walls were barren besides a bit of graffiti. No posters hung for the upcoming

election. There were also some exits to outside along the way. We could get out but then we tested the

door from the outside and we couldn’t get in that way. At the end, there was an out of service elevator.

We climbed some stairs and came out in a storage room in JROWL. The exit was filled with unknown

equipment and unidentifiable clutter. We were a bit unsettled by the eerie atmosphere so we didn’t

linger much in the tunnel to the science center. Our observations were that we saw no one, the tunnel

was dirty with walls falling apart, the tunnel was not wheel chair accessible, and there was

unidentifiable paraphernalia in the exit.

Overall we found that they were both a cool temperature, they needed some cleaning and fixing

up, there was exposed piping, they were relatively dark, and there was poor signage. In order to

improve the connection of academic buildings on the RPI campus and increase students going to class in

the winter, there are many improvements we see fit for the tunnels.

Before we finalized our plans for the RPI tunnels we wanted to look at other schools and see

they use their tunnels. We reached out to an RIT student who is a freshman that uses the tunnels at RIT.

He provided us with some insight into the tunnels at that institution:

There are two sets of tunnels at RIT, academic and dorm side. The dorm side tunnels are used to

navigate between buildings or get food, pick up mail, or do laundry. You can't get everywhere

using them because they are divided by clusters of buildings. Academic side is pretty much the

same. I haven't used the tunnels over there except the one time me and a friend explored the

creepy, sketchy tunnels on the academic side.

People use the tunnels to get out of the very cold elements or to not face the world on a walk

back in the morning. People paint good murals on all of the walls that help orient you and

advertise for their club, athletics, or Greek life.

I'm not sure when they were made. I think they were all put in with the buildings. Some are

extremely old because RIT was founded in 1829 but it was a different school even before then.

Below are some pictures he has provided as well.

After talking to Brett we did a google search of the RIT tunnels in order to answer the remainder

of our questions. We found a link to the RIT website and watched a short video in order to learn more

about how the school was portraying their tunnels online. The tunnels began in 1980 when there was a

contest to create artwork to cover the walls through the tunnels connecting the residence halls. The

tunnels emphasize telling “stories of time” and are said to be a “canvas to not only chronicle RIT’s

history, but the important social, cultural and historical moments that have shaped each generation that

has traveled these pathways.” We learned more about many of the murals which include U2, The Who,

The Simpsons, Calvin and Hobbes, the 50th anniversary of WW II, and the Challenger Explosion.

These findings about RIT intrigued us to search online for information about the RPI tunnels. We

found a forum where students were talking about the steam tunnels and how you can get expelled for

going in them. Other than that, there was no administered information online about the tunnels

comparable to RIT. The RIT tunnels were used as a sense of community and history for the school and if

the RPI tunnels were used in that way, cultural benefits and community growth would happen. We

expected the tunnels at RIT would keep students out of the cold and with a sense of community but we

did not foresee the historical benefits that the tunnels can provide. After the survey, our own research,

and looking into RIT’s tunnel system we were able to outline a plan for RPI’s tunnel system.

We have developed a four stage plan that first improves the tunnels already on campus and

then expands them. The plan is broken up into four

phases: clean up, fix up, enhance, and expand. Phase

one is the cleanup phase which consists of tiding up

the tunnel overall so it is ready for improvements.

Staff would first remove the equipment from the JEC

tunnel and store it where it belongs. Then the

Phase 1: Clean Up

Phase 2: Fix Up

Phase 3: Enhance

Phase 4: Expand

tunnels should be swept and cleaned and put on the schedule with the rest of the campus for cleaning.

Now, the tunnels are ready for phase two or the fix up phase. To start, signage needs to be added so

that students can easily access the tunnels and know where they lead. This is important during the fix up

phase but will also be important in the enhancement phase so student know where the new tunnel will

lead and how to access them. Then, repairs to the elevator in JROWL would be made in order to ensure

that the tunnel is handicap accessible. Additionally, lighting would be added. Space can be looked at for

adding a coffee kiosk and the ability to have music playing can also be looked into. The RPI radio station

is right at the entrance of the DCC tunnel and they could control the music. This would allow student to

be involved in music selection and additionally increase community by having song themes on different

days. The enhance phase is up next and would include having murals painted. This tradition that is also

at RIT is something that can enrich the overall culture of RPI. Students and faculty could partake in

painting a representation of their club, a historic moment, or an iconic figure. These paintings would

remain in the tunnels for years after the students who painted them have left. They could also be

painted over in order to keep things contemporary. This tie of culture, history, and community will

augment the school in addition to improve the tunnels that students will be using through the

temperamental weather in order to get to class. The last phase is the most complicated and most

important phase: expand.

Expansion in itself can be broken up into three stages. Stage one is academic, stage two is dorm

side, and stage three is campus wide. The map included at the end of this paper shows the original

tunnels in light blue and circled in black. Ignore the

other colors from the legend that are for pipes and

the steam tunnels. The academic expansion is

broken up into two parts which includes a web

system followed by a branching. Part one of the new

1- Academic2- Dorm Side3- Campus Wide

Expand

academic tunnels are red. The tunnels take on a web type system in order to be as efficient as possible.

The first tunnel goes across the old 86’ field which is labled on the map in its original position on campus

to Ricketts. Next, the longest tunnel connects the JEC to West Hall. Last the JEC links to the VCC and then

the library. The first tunnel is connected to the second at the halfway point so that if you need to go to

West Hall or any part of west campus so you don’t have to go all the way back to the JEC. The second

tunnel forks to go to the Lally School or West Hall. This expansion does not connect every academic

bulding but does link main areas such as the library and west hall. Part two academic side is shown in

purple and shows a more thourough connection of the academic buildings. This design implements a

branch method as opposed to the original web method with the branches going off the three main

tunnels from part one and the existing tunnels.

Part two or dorm side tunnels focus on connecting the dorms on freshman hill. The connection

of BarH will be included in the campus wide part of the expansion. Other dorms like Blitman Commons,

City Station, and RAPHs Apartments are too far from campus for tunnels to be effective. Those students

are most likely to take the shuttle or drive themselves as opposed to walking anyways. The connection

of these dorm side tunnels are highlighted in blue. This stage is not as expansive as the academic side

but still remains important. Expanding the dorm side tunnels could provide opportunity for another

option for freshman dining. A late night underground shop on freshman hill that has food like the union

and is open on the weekends would enhance student life. Also, freshman year is where students start to

find their friend groups and bond with other students. Many times the people that live on your floor

freshman year end up being your friends throughout your college career. If different floors could paint

murals in their tunnels that would enhance community and bonding.

The last phase is connecting the campus as a whole. The first important connection is from the

union to the academic side and from the dorms to the union. This connection is shown in green. Also

note that Quad is connected to the academic side and the dorm side through this expansion. Note that

Muller center and the armory are not directly connected but due to their proximity to the union adding

another tunnel would be unnecessary. The last connection is from freshman hill to ECAV and to EMPAC.

This is the last expansion due to the difficulty that the institute faces in making the connection to ECAV.

We felt that this tunnel could serve the community by providing safety above all for the students. Many

times athletes have early or late practices and walk down Peoples Avenue or Burdett Avenue by

themselves. The Troy community, especially those streets, is known for being more dangerous in the

dark because of the distance away from campus. The second attached map shows the ECAV to freshman

hill connection with a stop at BARH in the middle. EMPAC is connected for completeness and overall

connection of the entire community. With the connection of the campus from EMPAC to ECAV, the RPI

community is tied together. The exceptional designs from 1825 to 2012 can be linked for students past,

present, and future.

The entire RPI community would benefit from the improvement and expansion of the RPI

tunnels. The two academic tunnels that currently exist are not in proper condition to be used. Simply

cleaning up, fixing up, and adding signs to the current tunnels are simple solutions to start our proposal.

Campus, everything from EMPAC to ECAV, could be well connected through tunnels. Students would be

better equipped to endure the unpredictable weather conditions because they could use the tunnels to

get to class. This encourages attendance as well as expands comfort and community for students. The

tunnels would also add a unique touch to the campus that would be noticeable to prospective students.

Through the improvement and expansion plan proposed, the RPI tunnels can improve the lives of the

student, create community, and preserve history.

Getting up on a cold, blistering February morning is still tough. As my alarm clock goes off and I

gaze out the window I see snow. No it’s rain. Wait is that freezing rain? Nevertheless I see undesirable

weather conditions that will make my walk to class cold and wet. But then I remember… When I get out

of bed, I can stop at the new Underground Café on my way to class and grab a coffee and a bagel. I can

make it to my tough engineering class without needed three extra jackets and cross-country skis. As I

head out the door and walk down the hall the weather seems almost not so bad, now that I know that I

will not have to walk through it. I pass the mural that my friends and I on the crew team painted last

semester. Considering none of us are any good at art it came out pretty well. As I walk through the

tunnels from my dorm across campus to my class with my peers, I look around me and appreciate the

community and history that these tunnels brought us and I imagine students for centuries to come

appreciating these halls just as I do.

Maps for Tunnel Expansion Phase:

Map 1: Academic and dorm side expansion.

Map 2: Campus wide expansion.