February 13, 2012, 08:50 AM ET
Shop Talk: After Fire, U. of Hawaii Calculates Losses of System Records
For the
Casas del Rio, a student-housing project now under construction at
the U. of New Mexico, administrators sought a partnership with one
of several big private developers that are finding more and more
work on and near campuses. In this week's "Chronicle," Scott
Carlson explains
that the companies are helping universities work around common
problems with financing, construction expertise, and even building
operations. (American Campus Communities photo) • Fire
Ravages Portable Building Housing U. of Hawaii System Records,
Computers (Additional
article) •
Providence Mayor Warns of 'Devastation' if Brown U. and Other
Colleges Don't Increase Payments in Lieu of Taxes 
•
SUNY Canton Closes Its Campus for a Week After Cook Hall Lab
Fire (SUNY Canton photo) •
U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Plans Center for Wounded
Veterans •
Does Drawing Still Have a Role in...
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February 1, 2012, 12:19 PM ET
U. of Vermont Will Stop Bottled-Water Sales
The University of Vermont will
stop sales of bottled water on campus within a year, adding to a
small but growing number of institutions that have done so. Vermont
administrators said the drive to stop bottled-water sales was led
by students. The university has set up bottle-filling stations
(pictured at the left) around campus to prepare for the
contract's end. An
announcement about the move noted that the university would not
renew its contract with Coca-Cola, which had exclusive "pouring
rights" on the campus and sold about 1.1 million bottles of
beverages there each year. Dining services, cafes, and retail
stores on campus "will choose a mix of beverages through their own
national contracts and local connections, allowing for greater
flexibility in addressing environmental and social values in
relation to the beverages supplied," the announcement says. There
was real money tied up ...
Read More
January 27, 2012, 08:20 AM ET
20 Teams—and a California Site—Are Chosen for 2013 Solar Decathlon
The 20 teams competing in the 2013 Solar Decathlon
will set up their sun-powered houses on a what was once a Marine
Corps air base runway. (U.S. Department of Energy photo) The
U.S.
Department of Energy said Thursday that the 2013 Solar
Decathlon will take place at a former Marine Corps air base in
Irvine, Calif., rather than on the National Mall in Washington. The
department described the site, now the Orange County Great Park, as
an "awesome venue" for the intense, high-profile competition, in
which teams of college students vie to build energy-efficient
houses. The county is turning the one-time air base into
"sustainable parkland for family recreation," department officials
said. The department also announced the 20 teams
selected for the 2013 competition. Nine of the teams have taken
part in previous decathlons, and four are from institutions outside
the U.S.: • Arizona State ...
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January 26, 2012, 02:37 PM ET
Shop Talk: At Davis, Occupy Protesters Move Indoors
Oral Roberts U. has
broken ground on its $12.5-million, 28,000-square-foot Armand
Hammer Alumni-Student Center, which will house a coffee shop, food
services, and offices for student organizations and the alumni and
career-services staffs. (KSQ Architects
rendering) •
Protesters Occupy an Unused Building at U. of California at
Davis •
U. of California at Berkeley Chooses Richmond Site for
National-Laboratory Campus •
College of the Ozarks Rehabs Building to House New High School
•
U. of Rochester Plans 11-Story Student-Housing Tower Off Campus
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January 23, 2012, 01:24 PM ET
Shop Talk: Downturn? Not in the Student-Housing Market
Northwestern U. will begin construction later this
year on a
$117-million project that includes a 150,000-square-foot
building for its School of Music as well as extra space for its
School of Communication. The facility, which will be connected to
an existing concert hall, will unite the university's music
programs under one roof for the first time in 35 years. (Goettsch
Partners rendering) •
American Campus Communities Buys Properties at U. of Maryland at
College Park, U. of Texas at Austin •
Plan for New Arizona State U. Campus in Payson Advances •
Penn State Trustees Approve Construction of 6,000-Seat Hockey
Arena •
Student Masterminds a Snowboarding Competition on Temple U.
Campus
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January 20, 2012, 08:57 AM ET
Shop Talk: Does 'in Perpetuity' Mean 'Till the Price Is Right'?
This weekend the U. of California at Berkeley
unveils its latest museum, the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art
& Life. The museum occupies a former university
printing plant that dates from the 1920s and was renovated by a San
Francisco architecture firm, Pfau Long, and the design firm Picassa
Studios. (U. of California at Berkeley photo)
•
Delays Push Back Opening of Zaha Hadid's Museum at Michigan State
U. (Michigan State
U. photo taken January 18) •
UCLA Will Sell Donated Japanese Garden It Pledged to Maintain in
Perpetuity •
Western Illinois U. Opens Phase 1 of Quad Cities Campus, Gets
$38-Million for Phase 2 •
Princeton U. Plans 326 Units of Faculty and Staff Housing Near Its
Campus
Read More
January 19, 2012, 06:35 AM ET
Remote-Control Helicopter Has a Fine View of U. of Utah
Isaac Hart, a graduate student in archaeology at the
U. of Utah, made this spectacular panoramic view of the
university's campus with his remote-control helicopter and a video
camera. The view—click on the image for a larger version—consists
of 18 separate images stitched together by clever software, Mr.
Hart reports. The miniature helicopter was hovering over Presidents
Circle. The main administration building, Park Hall, is at the top
of the drive, and the Great Salt Lake is a ribbon of blue at the
bottom of the picture.
In a detail
view, you can see a grounds-crew member in a red vehicle plowing a
sidewalk.
Campus trees cast
long shadows.
This is the view east
toward the mountains.
And the view west to
downtown Salt Lake City and, beyond that, the lake itself.
Read More
January 18, 2012, 12:38 PM ET
Shop Talk: Northern Illinois U. Reopens Building Where Shootings Occurred
The U. of the District of Columbia
breaks ground Wednesday for a $40-million
student center. The facility will house a 10,000-square-foot
fitness center, a bookstore, a ballroom and conference center, a
dining area, and offices. (Cannon Design
sketch) •
After a $6-Million Renovation, Cole Hall Is Part of Memorial •
Umpqua Community College Opens $6.8-Million Building for Southern
Oregon Wine Institute (See the institute's Web site
here) •
Student Group at Drexel U. Plans to Make an 1872 House Smarter and
Greener •
Texas Supreme Court Ruling Lets Austin Community College District
Move Forward With Hays County Campus
Read More
January 13, 2012, 09:20 AM ET
Shop Talk: 2-Year College's Newest Building Is on University's Campus
Sacramento City College has
opened a $7.4-million complex on the U. of California at Davis's
new West Campus. The 20,000-square-foot facility, intended for
2,000 students, offers general-education courses at a much lower
cost than students would pay to take courses through the
university. For a small fee, students can also take advantage of
the university's library and recreation facilities,
The Sacramento Bee reports. (Sacramento City
College rendering) •
U. of Iowa Will Get $106.7-Million for 2008 Flood Damage to 2
Complexes •
$33-Million Grant Will Pay for Half of Upgrade for Indiana U.
Business School •
Pace U. Will Renovate Manhattan Building for Performing-Arts
Programs •
Columbia U. Faces Construction Challenges as It Expands in
Harlem
Read More
January 12, 2012, 11:30 AM ET
Shop Talk: Library's Leaks Prompt a Lawsuit With a 13th-Century Twist
The U. of Florida's Harn Museum of Art will open a
26,000-square-foot addition dedicated to Asian art on March 31. The
$13.3-million addition, designed by the Orlando firm Kha Le-Huu
& Partners, houses a series of galleries above
conservation labs, research facilities for curators, and storage
space. Two Asian-inspired gardens will complete the project. (Ian
Espinoza Associates rendering) •
Connecticut's Suit Against University Contractor Takes a Novel Turn
Toward Antiquity •
Refurbished, Not Demolished: Students Return to Baggins End Domes
at U. of California at Davis (An earlier article is
here.) •
New Purdue U. Year-Round Schedule Will Make Better Use of
Campus •
EPA Honors 5 Universities for Cutting Back on Game-Day Trash
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What's going up, what's coming down, and why—Buildings & Grounds offers news about campus architecture and facilities.
