UCCS To Break Ground On Largest-Ever Project Colorado Springs, Colo.
Contact: Tom Hutton, University Relations, (719) 262-3439
University of Colorado officials will break ground on the largest construction project in the history of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in Thursday ceremonies.
At 4 p.m. in parking lot 5 near the current Engineering and Applied Sciences building, CU President Hank Brown, UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak, CU Regent Jerry Rutledge and UCCS Vice Chancellor Brian Burnett will use pneumatic jackhammers to begin transforming the parking lot into a $45 million state-of-the-art science and engineering building on the UCCS campus.
The new science and engineering building will be the largest single project in UCCS history, Shockley-Zalabak said. Students will learn revolutionary techniques in laboratories housing the Network Information and Space Security Center, a K-12 collaborative learning environment and bioenergetics to name just a few.
Plans call for a 143,000 gross square foot building that will include teaching and research space including classrooms, laboratories, offices and support areas. The new building will be home to such university departments as biology, physics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, the Institute for Science and Space Studies, the CU Institute of Bioenergetics and new areas for outreach to area elementary, middle and high school students. The new building will provide space for about 800 students.
Engineering is an interdisciplinary study that brings together expertise from a variety of technical and non-technical fields to impact our daily lives, Jeremy Haefner, dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science. I am thrilled that our new building will be constructed in a way that faculty from different colleges and students, including those from our regional middle and high schools, will have the opportunity to interact.
Tom Christensen, dean, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said:
This building will have a tremendous affect on student learning. Our students will have new opportunities to gain knowledge through advanced classrooms and laboratories. Students and faculty will have facilities to work together on world-class research.
In addition to providing expanded space for teaching and research, university officials plan to use energy saving techniques and environmentally friendly materials in its construction. The university’s goal is to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation from the United States Green Building Council. For more about LEED certification, visit http://www.usgbc.org.
Approximately $2 million in state funds was provided for the project in FY 2006-2007. Additional state support is being requested. University officials and representatives of the CU Foundation are working to raise $12 million from private sources.
The general contractor for the project is Gerald H. Phipps Construction, Denver. The lead architectural firm is AR7HooverDesmondArchitects, Denver.
UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 18 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,800 students annually. For more information, visit http://www.uccs.edu.