Budgetary concerns have led the administration to consult contractors regarding the possible renovation of the Ridgewood residence halls, according to Dan Feldman, the vice president for capital projects.The half-century-old dorms had been slated for demolition and replacement, but last week administrators said they have begun to consider renovating the buildings instead. No final decisions on the residences' fate have been made yet, administrators said.

The shift stems from concerns that the budget to build a new dorm would not be sufficient to finance a building of significantly larger capacity, according to Feldman. Worries about the housing shortage that would result after 109 beds are lost during a new residence hall's construction have also played a part, Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said.

The University is currently working with contractors to explore two possible ways to build a reasonable number of new beds.

The budget Sawyer said, "suddenly seemed short and the net bed count wasn't going to strike at the heart of the major issue."

The repairs could be done over two summers, with no beds being lost during the academic year, or they could be completed during one semester and the following summer, making those beds unavailable for that semester, Feldman wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

Originally, plans had called for the demolition of the current Ridgewood residences in summer 2007 and for the completion of a new apartment-style residence hall that would house 150 more students by spring 2009. $35 million had been slated for the total construction costs of the new dorm, according to Mark Collins, vice president for campus operations. In comparison, the 220-bed Village Residence Hall built in 2003 cost $21.3 million.

"I think it's prudent to [consider all options] when you're talking about the kind of money needed to build a dorm," Collins said. "Is it a worthwhile exercise to look at renovation? I think it is."

Sawyer said the University began to realize in August the original budget may not be sufficient to build a reasonable number of new beds.

The building costs of apartment-style housing with kitchens and single rooms, a priority for the new residence that the administration has cited repeatedly, "would make it impossible to provide 250 new beds at a quality that would meet the University's goals of quality and sustainability," Feldman said. He said this was a "major factor" in considering the renovation of Ridgewood as part of the overall project.

The rising cost of construction, which would have resulted in the construction of fewer beds than originally planned, was one reason that led the University to reevaluate the direction of the project, Sawyer said. "As more and more design came in, it became more expensive and that's when the bed count started to drop."

The University Board of Trustees set aside $35 million for the housing project's overall budget, including $20 million in new debt. These funds are solely intended for that project and have not been affected by other capital projects such as the Carl Shapiro Science Complex, Feldman said.

Student Union President Alison Schwartzbaum '08 said she told administrators the net gain of beds if the currently-proposed dorm replaces Ridgewood was not worth the inconvenience to students.

It is important for the administration to take its time to decide how best to serve students now and in the future with the money slated for the project, Sawyer said.

"We can't be rash in this one, and we can't be hurried," he said. "It's just too important."

Rachel Marder contributed to this article.