November 9, 2004

While University of Houston faculty, staff and students are relaxing with family and friends during the winter break, the campus will bustle with campus renovations and construction projects.

Among the projects scheduled to begin during December’s winter break is construction on the new $25.8 million parking garage to be located at the north end of Parking Lot 1A at Calhoun Road and University Drive near Entrance 4 and the Hilton University of Houston Hotel. The garage is scheduled to open in Jan. 2006.

Dave Irvin, associate vice president of plant operations, said that approximately 500 existing spaces in Lot 1A on Calhoun Road will close as a result of this construction. He added that this loss of spaces was taken into consideration during the garage’s planning and should be balanced by the more than 800 spaces that were added during summer, as well as the addition of 400 additional student spaces – 200 spaces in Lot 4A on Wheeler Avenue and 200 spaces in Lot 8A on Cullen Boulevard – that will be added during the break.

Irvin added that 200 spaces reserved for contractors will be transferred from Lot 4A to Lot 8A.

In December, work will also continue on the $81 million Science and Engineering Research Classroom Complex. Irvin said the project is running on schedule and during the break, construction on the exterior walls will begin. The scheduled completion for this project is Aug. 2005.

Irvin anticipates that much of the $49 million M.D. Anderson Library expansion will be completed in December in time for a February grand opening. He said the remaining work consists of finalizing the renovations to the library.

Corridor renovations also are among the winter break projects. Like the classroom renovations that were recently completed, corridors in the stair towers of Farish Hall and hallways in Garrison and Melcher Gymnasiums will receive new lighting, floors and walls. These renovations are part of the $6 million classroom renovation project that began during summer 2004.

Enhanced exterior lighting will be another priority during the winter break. Following recent nighttime tours of the campus with the UH System Board of Regents and the Student Government Association, Irvin said, it was determined that the northeast part of campus near the Law Center required additional lighting.

“During the spring semester, we’ll continue to enhance lighting in various areas of the campus,” Irvin said.

Some campus buildings will receive a spring-cleaning in December. The Houston Science Center, Science and Research Building II and M.D. Anderson Library will undergo power washing to prevent mold and preserve building structure. After these buildings are washed, they will be sprayed with a protective coating that inhibits the development of mold.

“This coating will be effective for about eight years,” Irvin said. “Our goal is to power wash all of the buildings on campus since many of their exteriors haven’t been cleaned before. This will help the campus maintain its polished look.”

Work will also continue on the new Burdette Keeland Jr. Design Exploration Center. The building, located just northeast of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, is being built with a $200,000 gift, donated goods and recycled materials.

“We’re hoping that some of the walls will be finished during the break,” Irvin said. “Then we can begin the interior work and perhaps complete this project by the end of spring.”

A $2 million roof repair project scheduled for fall has been pushed back until December for the convenience of faculty, staff and students. Repairs will be made to the roofs of Melcher Hall, the Fine Arts Building, and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. Earlier this fall, the roof of the General Services Building was repaired.

Other projects scheduled during December are the continuation of the $3.3 million renovation of Melcher Hall; the $8 million replacement of central utility plant chillers – devices that provide chilled water for campus air-conditioning; and the start of the $16 million Cullen Oaks expansion.

During FY2004, $199 million was spent on campus construction. Irvin said that the university is currently planning projects funded in the FY2005 budget.

“Presently, we have $10 million for FY2005, with over half of that obligated for the second portion of the chiller replacement project and for state-mandated fire safety improvements,” Irvin said.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu