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UConn Makes Progress on Master Plan

STORRS, Conn. — Several construction projects are underway this year as part of the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) strategic Master Plan. UCONN 2000, 21st Century UConn and the new 10-year, $1.5 billion initiative, Next Generation Connecticut, are all helping transform the state’s flagship public university. Here’s a roundup of several major projects under construction in accordance to the plan.

A new 212,000-square-foot STEM Residence Hall will house hundreds of STEM Scholars who are members of the science, technology, engineering and math community within UConn’s undergraduate Honors Program. Construction on the $105 million facility began in November 2014 and will continue through fall 2016.

Construction on a 115,000-square-foot, high-performance building and laboratory for interdisciplinary research began in June 2015, with completion scheduled for summer 2017. The $95 million facility will accommodate student and faculty growth in fields such as bio-nano engineering and cyber-physical systems engineering.

Work began on another 115,000-square-foot facility in June 2015 as the first phase of UConn’s expansive Technology Park. The Innovation Partnership Building will house various specialized instruments, and allow UConn researchers to easily partner with professional scientists on technologies such as 3D printing and cyber security.

Major renovations to the university’s Monteith Building and Putnam Refectory will begin in September, with completion in summer 2016. The Monteith Building is undergoing a 73,000-square-foot renovation that will create a new home for the Department of Math. The $25 million upgrade will also provide flexible space for other academic programs currently housed in buildings that have yet to be renovated.

The 42,000-square-foot Putnam Refectory dining hall will undergo a $23 million renovation that will improve and increase its seating capacity and self-service buffet areas. This upgrade will provide space for new students housed in the STEM Residence Hall nearby. The project is also slated for completion in summer 2016.

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Top 5 School Design & Construction Stories of 2013

The school construction industry continued to focus on green building and technology as construction on several 21st century education facilities broke ground and debuted in 2013. Facilities focused on media and technology as well as career preparation — specifically careers in business — were the most highly anticipated ones to open. Read on to remember some of the top stories that School Construction News readers clicked on the most last year.

1. Pasadena ISD to Open New Career and Technology High School: The Pasadena Independent School District broke ground in April on the 246,000-square-foot Career and Technology High School (CTE) scheduled to open in August 2014. The school will be equipped with facilities to prepare students for 21st century careers — from cosmetology to construction — while earning them college credits with focus on the community’s job market.

2. Yale Attracts Researchers with New Innovative Labs: Yale University opened the new W-B 24 scientific research facility at the university’s growing West Campus Integrated Science & Technology Center (W-ISTC). The 460,000 square feet of laboratory space has been designed so that the individual labs can support a variety of biology and engineering studies and include features such as microscopy suites, DNA sequencers and cell culture, which will likely draw new researchers and their practices.

3. New Business School Underway at University of Florida: The University of Florida broke ground on Heavener Hall, a new 21st century business school for the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Administration. The 56,200-square-foot building will give the undergraduate business program one dedicated location for undergraduate students to learn. The current business program is spread out among several other buildings.

4. Construction Continues on UConn’s New Basketball Arena: A new basketball court is in the works at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The two-floor, 78,200-square-foot court will feature a new basketball Hall of Fame, which will include three men’s and eight women’s NCAA championship trophies.

5. Salt Lake Community College Unveils Media Center: Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) debuted its new Center for Arts and Media (CAM) in early November at South City Campus. The new 130,000-square-foot center houses SLCC programs, such as journalism, television broadcast production, music technology, and recording and visual arts, for about 9,000 students.

While the school construction industry in 2013 continued to focus on creating 21st century learning environments, School Construction News predicts some other trends for 2014. Our January/February issue highlights new steps in sustainable design, as more and more net-zero energy facilities are being built. In fact, the Facilities of the Month cover story features the new Los Angeles Harbor College Sciences Complex, designed to achieve net-zero energy and to serve as a teaching tool for the college’s physical science and life science programs. Stay tuned for the most up-to-date stories in the coming year.

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Construction Continues on UConn’s New Basketball Arena

STORRS, Conn. — A new basketball court is in the works at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The two-floor, 78,200-square-foot court will feature a new basketball Hall of Fame open to the public. Highlights of the Hall of Fame will include three men’s and eight women’s NCAA championship trophies.
The new court comes as a long-awaited reward for one of the best programs in the country, which has stayed among the top teams despite the lack of a practice facility. After two years of funding and an ever-increasing need for state-of-the-art, modern facilities, the university’s program is finally getting its wish.
Plans for the construction project includes two new practice courts for the men’s team and women’s team, new locker rooms, weight rooms, classrooms, an athletic health and training center and offices for the staff. The facility will be open 24/7, allowing athletes access to the court whenever they need it.
The final construction budget for the University of Connecticut’s new basketball facility was approved on Sept. 26. The university’s board of trustees set the budget at $33.3 million, which is approximately $300,000 more than was anticipated in the original budget proposal. UConn’s operating funds will provide about $231,300 for the project, with the rest stemming from a series of private donations.
Of the private donations, Peter and Pam Werth pledged the largest single gift ever presented to the university’s Division of Athletics, donating $4.5 million to the facility back in 2011. “We are proud to make this commitment to UConn and its outstanding basketball program,” the Werths said in a statement at the time of their donation. “UConn basketball is part of the fabric of our state, and we know that this facility will help the men’s and women’s teams be successful for years to come.” Other donors include Mark Shenkman, chair of the UConn Foundation Board of Directors, and his wife Rosalind. They contributed $2 million to the new facility.
Walter Manuel, athletic director for UConn, stated that the finished court is expected to be one of the best in the country. The teams’ hard work is paying off with the new state-of-the-art facility comparable to their history of championship successes, he explained.
This new budget does not include the cost of furniture, fixtures or equipment. These additional expenses are expected to increase the total cost of construction to about $40 million, which will be the absolute cap for the budget. Manuel expects to raise an additional $7 million to $8 million. “We’re about 75 to 80 percent there,” he said.
Kevin Ollie, the men’s basketball coach, explained that the new facility would help promote the school’s success and foster the continued success of the basketball program. While the team itself provides an incentive for prospective athletes to go to UConn, the prospect of a brand-new facility helps boost the university’s image.
Construction on the facility is currently ahead of schedule. Work on the facility began earlier this year and is expected to be complete by May 2014. The project team expects to open the facility to the basketball teams in the same month. Construction may be halted, however, with the impending threat of harsh Connecticut winters quickly approaching. The project team is currently working on erecting the frame of the building and enclosing it before harsh weather hits. They expect to work extensively on interior construction during the winter months.
The new basketball court will be located next to the existing Gampel Pavilion on Jim Calhoun Way — formerly Stadium Road. The road was renamed to honor the Hall of Fame ex-coach, who retired last year.

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University of Connecticut Receives $1.5 Billion for STEM Education

STORRS, Conn. — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines at the University of Connecticut are set to undergo a massive transformation after Governor Dannel Malloy gave final legislative approval for a $1.5 billion investment in the university.

Dubbed “Next Generation Connecticut,” the expansion will include the renovation of aging buildings, the relocation of the Greater Hartford Campus to downtown Hartford, the construction of new STEM teaching laboratories and building additional STEM facilities for materials science, physics, biology, engineering, cognitive science, genomics and more. The colossal construction proposal is expected to bring about 30,000 construction jobs.

“We believe that Next Generation Connecticut represents one of the most ambitious state investments in higher education, economic development, and research in the nation,” said Sally Reis, vice provost for academic affairs. “Next Generation Connecticut will enable us to target strategic investments in facilities, faculty, and recruit and educate students who will establish UConn as a vital STEM university, invigorating Connecticut’s economy with new technologies, highly skilled graduates, new companies, patents, licenses, and high-wage STEM jobs.”

The state’s last large scale investment in the university was the UConn 2000 and 21st century initiatives, implemented in 1995. Numerous STEM buildings were constructed as part of this initiative as well as buildings not based in the sciences. The initiative continues today with the construction of the engineering and psychology buildings now underway and the renovation of the agricultural research facilities.

From these recent constructions and renovations, the university saw a 122 percent increase in research awards and an increase of 115 percent in undergraduate enrollment of STEM programs.

The university believes that further investments in STEM education will reap even larger rewards for the university and for the Connecticut’s economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM jobs grew three times faster than non-STEM jobs from 2000 to 2010 and approximately two-thirds of GDP growth was attributed to STEM innovations. The university also received $900 million in STEM research proposals last year.

“We believe that Next Generation Connecticut will invigorate Connecticut’s long-term economic competitiveness and result in job creation, economic growth, increased numbers of patents and inventions, many of which will enhance our ability to innovate and invent, thus benefiting both the state and the nation,” Reis said.

By 2024, the university expects Next Generation Connecticut to garner $146 million in new research awards annually, $285 million in new business activity in Connecticut annually, 2,190 new or 4,050 permanent jobs.

The current facilities allowed by UConn 2000 initiatives are already at capacity due to the rapid growth of the STEM student population. Thanks to the new initiative, the university will enroll 6,580 additional students and hire 259 new faculty members and create a STEM honors program.

“We will create one of, if not the most comprehensive STEM honors programs in the country, with new STEM honors housing and mentorships of STEM doctoral fellows to work with talented undergraduate students,” Reis said.

According to Gov. Malloy, the transformation will bring the school and the state into a new era on innovation.

“Connecticut used to lead the world when it came to innovation — we had more patents, more groundbreaking discoveries than anywhere else in the world. Somewhere along the way the world caught up. This is about to change,” Malloy said in a statement. “By targeting state resources to our flagship university we ensure that our young people have the skills they need to fill the jobs we are so aggressively pursuing. Make no mistake, we are making Connecticut competitive again.”

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