The College of Human Ecology celebrated the opening of its new spiral stair tower May 11. The tower in the northeast corner of Martha Van Rensselaer (MVR) Hall connects all five floors of MVR Hall with the adjacent MVR East Building for the first time since the facility opened in 1933.

Undergraduate student work from the Departments of Design and Environmental Analysis and of Fiber Science & Apparel Design ringed the interior of the tower, including garments, research posters, artwork, 3-D interior design sketches and computer-aided-design projects.

The stair tower will overlook the courtyard and interior commons that will connect MVR Hall with the new Human Ecology Building to the north along Forest Home Drive. The first phase of the project is on pace to conclude in 2011.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology