University Trustees Approve $57 Million in New Construction
Nov 1, 2010 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
Today, University President Jeffrey F. Bullock announced the Board of Trustees' approval to move forward with the construction of two major capital projects - a $30 million Performing Arts, Worship, and Campus Center, and a $27 million housing project, consisting of three, suite-style student residences. Both projects are intended to be built simultaneously with ground-breaking proposed for Commencement, May 2011.
Performing Arts, Worship, and Campus Center
In May, 2009, President Bullock announced a $24 million lead gift for the Performing Arts, Worship, and Campus Center from Joseph (C'68) and Linda Chlapaty. Since that time, architects were selected and initial plans have begun. The boora architectural group of Portland, Oregon was selected for Phase I - Planning, and Dubuque's Straka Johnson was selected for Phase II - Design and Construction.
The $30 million project will strengthen academic programs in Fine and Performing Arts, create a place in which students and faculty can gather as a community, and serve as a regional cultural center, becoming the heart of University life.
The Performing Arts, Worship, and Campus Center, dubbed by students as The Wave , is a 77,000 square foot, three-story building that will be located on what is now a parking lot on the west end of the block formed by Algona, Grace, Bennett, and McCormick Streets. The east end of the block is occupied by the Charles and Romona Myers Center. The sweeping vistas of glass, steel, and brick, showcase architectural elements that are hallmarks of other UD buildings and, "sing with the choir," to use a phrase often employed by the late Wayne Norman, a UD trustee and Dubuque architectural historian. Within this "architectural choir," The Wave will be a soloist.
Central to the theme of The Wave is a campus center. Students are encouraged to circulate into and through the building at various levels, with the goal of exposing students of all backgrounds to the fine and performing arts -"art by osmosis." Students will feel at home throughout the facility, in casual zones designed for student use, and in formal areas designed for hospitality, performance, and support.
Major components of the facility will include a nearly 1,000 seat proscenium theater that can accommodate a variety of performances as well as worship and convocations; a rehearsal hall; a 150-seat "black box" theater; a Café featuring a balcony cyber café; a dedicated art gallery; scene and costume shops; dressing rooms; seminar and conference rooms; a campus services area with store, mail and copy services; a choral rehearsal/classroom; a visual arts studio; a computer music lab; fine and performing arts faculty offices; and individual music practice rooms. As with almost all other new campus construction, this facility will be geothermally heated and cooled.
"A project of this scope and of such importance to the future of the University required the selection of architects who are attuned to their client's needs, to maximizing the value of each dollar invested, and to creating a campus icon that is, in itself, an art object," commented President Bullock. "Our search for architects took us around the globe, across the nation, and, in the end, down Highway 61 to Dubuque's Straka Johnson for an exciting - even dramatic - welcoming, people-friendly campus center. We look forward to this addition to our campus that will serve as a teaching, learning, performing, and gathering place for the University community for decades to come. I believe the construction of this University center will change us - and this place - in unimagined ways."
Student Residential Housing
As undergraduate student enrollment has continued to grow steadily - from 1,001 in fall 2004 when the second phase of housing was completed at University Park Village on UD's South Campus, to 1,589 in fall 2010 - the need for additional student residences has been magnified. Even with the addition of University Park Village, no more than 51% of our undergraduates have been able to be housed on campus. By fall 2010 with a combined undergraduate, graduate, and seminary enrollment of 1,908, the University's on-campus housing shortage had become acute.
Three new, suite-style student residences will be constructed on South Campus, nestled between Oyen Soccer Pitch, the University's Baseball Field, and a newly constructed practice field that will be located on the current site of the Potterveld Apartments which will be razed.
The $27 million housing project will provide suite-style housing for 494 undergraduate students in three, 37,000 square foot, four-story, geothermally heated and cooled buildings, mirroring the University's commitment to student residences that are spacious and light-filled. The brick and stone residences are located proximate to University Park Drive and form a west-facing, inner courtyard. Each building will appear to be three, linked structures configured to accommodate the suite-style "pods" that will occupy each floor. Individual pods consist of seven double-occupancy rooms, a kitchenette, core bathrooms, and a small inner common area. The three pods that comprise each floor are linked by a large, 1,000 square foot shared living space.
"Without a doubt, the University is richly blessed with continued strong enrollment growth - creating for us the opportunity to build additional student residences," commented President Bullock. "We believe that a residential college needs to have students in living-learning environments. In order to accomplish that, we need to be able to house a greater percentage of our students on campus as well as provide for them a mix of housing options during their student years.
"We are also pleased to be able to be a part of the economic revitalization of our region through these two large construction projects. In these times of severe economic challenge, the University will continue to employ skilled workers from our region which, in the end, will benefit many families."
