Volume 1, Spring 2002
Welcome to the inaugural newsletter published by Facilities
Planning. With all of the projects
under construction across campus, we felt this would be a good time to
re-introduce ourselves to campus, and explain our services and function to
people on campus who have not previously dealt with Facilities Planning. We have recently updated our website ( http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/fs ) and believe it
will provide you with valuable information on our services.
Facilities Planning is the department at the University of Northern Iowa that oversees the overall
physical development of the campus. We have a staff of 20 people dedicated to
this task. We provide design and administration
for building projects, campus improvements and interior renovations. Services
are delivered by in-house staff and outside consulting firms that work with the
department. Among the responsibilities
of the department are the completion of capital projects and the selection and
purchase of furniture. We also provide
support to the Physical Plant by providing design and engineering
services. Whereas the Physical Plant is
responsible for the operation, maintenance and custodial services provided for buildings
and campus grounds, Facilities Planning provides planning, design, and
administration for capital projects, ranging from minor office renovations to
construction of entirely new buildings.
We invite you to visit our website to find out more about what we do! ( http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/fs
)
CENTRAL CAMPUS PROJECTS
Central campus is undergoing a
facelift with two projects that are currently underway. Most of you have seen the progress that has been
made on the McCollum Science Hall Addition project that has been underway since
October 2001. This project adds 66,000
gross square feet (gsf) to the existing building for new laboratories,
classrooms and offices, and includes upgrades to the air conditioning system
for the existing building. The project
was designed by BWBR Architects of St. Paul, Minnesota, and is being
constructed by Cardinal Construction of Waterloo, Iowa. The progress of this project can be seen
through the webcamera that has been installed and is available for viewing
through our website.
Our newest major project is the
Maucker Union/Center for Multicultural Education Renovation/Expansion, which
was designed by InVision Architecture of Waterloo, Iowa. The construction contract for this exciting
project was recently awarded to Larson Construction of Independence, Iowa. This project includes an addition and
renovation to some of the existing spaces.
A 34,000 gsf addition will be constructed on the east side of Maucker
Union to provide for expanded food service venues and space for student
organizations, NISG, and the Center for Multicultural Education.
McCollum Science Hall Addition Maucker Union/Center for Multicultural
Education
STEAM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM REPLACEMENT – PHASE I
The project that will cause some of
the most noticeable inconveniences this summer will be the Steam Distribution
System – Phase I project that began on April 1st. The project was designed by ZBA, Inc. of
Iowa City, Iowa and Cincinnati, Ohio, and is being constructed by Peterson
Contractors, Inc. of Reinbeck, Iowa.
This project will involve constructing utility tunnels to replace direct
buried steam lines that in some cases are 40 years old. The main portion of this project will
connect the power plant with central campus via concrete tunnels that will
carry the steam that is used for campus heating and cooling. This summer’s work will include construction
of a tunnel from the Power Plant to Hudson Road, from Latham Hall to the
Biology Research Complex, and from a tunnel north of Gilchrist to the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.
As a result of this construction, University Avenue, and Campus Street
may be closed for portions of the summer.
We will keep the campus informed of these closings through notices in
UNI Online.
FUTURE PROJECTS
There are several upcoming campus
projects that we are also working on.
We are currently in the selection process to hire an architect for the
new McLeodUSA/Human Performance Center project. This project includes a new basketball arena with at least 5000
seats that will be the main performance venue for the men’s and women’s
basketball teams and volleyball team.
The Human Performance Center will provide medical office space for
sports injury treatment, athletic locker rooms and office space for programs
such as Camp Adventure, the National Playground Safety Program, the Global
Health Corps, and other programs.
We hope to receive funding in July
to start the process for renovating the East Gym into an Innovative Teaching
and Technology Center. The building
will receive a complete interior and exterior renovation.
The Department of Residence is
continuing upgrades to the campus dining centers. Design is underway to transform the Towers Dining Center from a
line-type serving venue to a marketplace similar to the newly renovated Redeker
Center. We anticipate construction
starting on this project in May 2003.
Our website contains a significant
amount of information that will help you with questions and give you a better understanding
of the processes we must follow on projects.
The Requests link includes a form for you to fill out when requesting
Facilities Planning services. This not
only helps us to track your project and serve you better, but it allows you to
see the current status of your request.
We have a section explaining Capital Projects and their approval
process, and a Project Planning link that provides an outline of what to expect
in the design and construction phase of a project once a project has been approved.
One of the most frequent requests
Facilities Planning receives is for furniture items. Our staff coordinates the interiors of our capital projects
through the selection of furniture, flooring, wall coverings and paint. Offices that desire to purchase standard
office furniture can do so through Purchasing without our department’s
involvement. We are currently working
on completing a furniture link to assist users in evaluating standard items and
their costs. This will be operational
by June 1. As usual, we encourage users
to contact either George Pavelonis or Carol Christopher with questions that may
arise on these standard purchases or on non-standard items.
There are many other features of
our website that we have included in an effort to better explain what we do and
the processes we must follow on projects.
We hope that this is helpful to you and will update information
periodically to keep you informed of the construction projects on campus. If you have any comments or suggestions to
enhance this site, we would appreciate your feedback.
The following section includes a
map of the major projects that will be under construction this summer.
Have a safe summer!
Major
Construction Projects Summer 2002:
