CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Robin Burr, chief of design and construction, University of Utah Facilities Management
All building construction projects at the university over $5 million follow the state LEED Silver certification. The U’s Sustainability Office is an integral part of all construction projects and writing the standards.
Below is an overview of the projects that are currently under construction.
CLEONE PETERSON ECCLES ALUMNI HOUSE
Additional space is required to serve the growing alumni – 265,000 worldwide – with building upgrades to the existing aging facility needed due to seismic, energy, and code issues. This project will cost $10.5 million. Construction began in fall 2016 and will be complete for fall 2017. This space will also be available for community use and can accommodate larger events and expanded meeting space. EDA Architects and Zwick Construction are working on this project.
CROCKER SCIENCE CENTER
The project renovates a portion of the former George Thomas Building with the balance demolished and replaced to meet science needs. It will provide new undergraduate labs and classroom space for the college. Cost of this project is $57.8 million and construction will be complete in fall 2017. EDA Architects and Okland Construction are working on this project.
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS EDUCATION BUILDING (EMBA)
This building will be built on the former site of Milton Bennion Hall, which was demolished in February 2017. This new building will address the growth in the master's and executive education departments. The project cost is $40 million and 150,000 square feet. It's expected to be complete in August 2018, and will enhance the programming.
Sixty-five students per faculty member will be doing an online MBA instead of coming to campus. The program runs on Friday nights and Saturdays when traffic is already lower. VCBO Architecture and Jacobsen Construction are working on this project.
CAROLYN AND KEM GARDNER BUILDING
This new building will replace Orson Spencer Hall (OSH) for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the main classroom facility on campus. It will consolidate department space from various locations. The project will cost $67.6 million with construction scheduled to be complete by fall 2018. MHTN Architects and Okland Construction are working on this project.
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM EXPANSION STUDY
The south end of the stadium is in need of repairs. The expansion study will be assessing the market to see what type of expansion will be supported.
This review will include a market analysis, cost estimates, and funding models. The study is a critical first step in determining a business plan that supports potential changes to the stadium’s south side.
The south end zone is the only area unchanged since the stadium opened in 1998. A reconstruction could include replacement of locker rooms, equipment storage, and media rooms, and space for medical services and hospitality opportunities. The study will consider the feasibility of additional suites, loges, fan interaction and concession areas, including connecting the east and west concourses.
Rice-Eccles Stadium currently seats 45,807, and every football game since the 2010 season opener has sold out. Of those 38 sellouts, 35 have overflowed into the standing room sections. For the past seven years, Utah has had a 98-percent renewal rate for its football season tickets.
A previous stadium expansion study was done in 2011, however, the study currently underway will only be looking at what the market would support. The 2011 does not reflect the current thinking or plans for expansion.
AMBULATORY CARE CENTER (ACC)
The old School of Medicine building, has seismic and safety concerns. This building, along with two smaller adjacent buildings, comprising 641,000 square feet will be demolished. The Ambulatory Care Center is one of three buildings that will replace it. It will house clinics, faculty offices, and 72 patient rooms. Many existing functions and staff are being relocated to other locations off-campus. The project will cost $131.5 million and be 296,000 square feet. Construction began in February 2017 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. FFKR Architects, HDR Architects, and Jacobsen Construction are working on this project.
REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
This project is the second building that will replace the outdated School of Medicine, and will add 75 patient rooms (replacing 28), with a dedicated rehab gym, clinic, and outdoor therapy space. It will cost $95 million for the 150,000-square-foot building. Okland Construction is working on this project.
MEDICAL EDUCATION AND DISCOVERY BUILDING (MED)
This is the third building that will be located at the old School of Medicine site with state of the art teaching and research space. This project will cost $185.5 million, and design to begin spring 2017. No contractor has been hired, but FFKR Architects and HDR Architects are doing some preliminary studies.
The university is committed to moving patient visits off campus. The Farmington clinic opened in and is reducing campus patient visits by 50,000 visits per year.
The university is also doing a complete facility condition assessment, which looks at the age of buildings, catalogs every replaceable system and assigns a useful life for each item to help make strategic decisions down the road on upgrades and investments. Money for operations and maintenance on buildings comes from capital improvements from the state.
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COMMUTER SERVICES
Alma Allred, executive director, University of Utah Commuter Services
The university has ordered two new electric buses and continues to implement recommendations from the parking and transportation master plan.
Parking enforcement
The U doesn’t enforce parking at Rice-Eccles Stadium after 4 p.m. and parking is free on weekends – excluding games and special events. Those wanting to utilize this area as a park and ride lot after 4 p.m. are free to do so as indicated by the entrance signs.
If there are major events on campus, an enforcement moratorium on parking is put in place.
Parking permits
Fewer than half of the students and employees of the university are currently buying parking permits, a goal the university has had for years and projected to achieve by Fall Semester 2017; however, we met that goal in 2016.
Looking at the site compatibility evaluation, along with the site criteria, University of Utah Athletics feels like site A, the existing baseball field, is the best location for the program. While Site A and Site B, the “E” lot parking on the north corner of the Steiner Aquatic Center, were close in number, the current parking in that area would have to be relocated. Site B is also SITLA (School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration) property that the university has a Use Agreement for and is the beneficiary of. There are restrictions on the uses listed in the beneficiary agreement.
Click here to download the PowerPoint version of this presentation.