Highlights:
*A new NOAA water research facility is being constructed on campus. A new national research facility at UA is a testament to the growing prestige of the university.
Quote:
UA Vice President for Research Joe Benson said Thursday that the center will be a central location for the NOAA that will coordinate the efforts of a number of organizations doing water research and monitoring.
“The federal government actually has 24 different agencies that do water-related research,” Benson said. “The opportunity for us here is to collaborate with the individuals from these agencies to carry out the research we at UA are doing on water issues here in the Southeast.”
...
[Trustees approved] the center’s triangular, domed design. Benson said the 50,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed by early 2014 and will cost between $16 million and $18 million to construct.
The construction will be paid for by NOAA, which is leasing the property from UA. Benson said the NOAA has just under $25 million set aside for the total project budget.
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*The UA System will move out their current offices in a nondescript building on Queen City Ave next to the University Club and into a new $8 million 33,000 sq. ft structure to be built on the corner of 5th Ave E and University Blvd (Please rename 5th Ave E already, BOT. The portion south from University Blvd. to 15th St. was already renamed by the city as Dr. Earl Hilliard Drive.)
I'm assuming this new headquarters building will go on the northeast side of the intersection, which is currently vacant lot. The lot may not be big enough, in which case I'll assume they'll tear down the office buildings which sit next to the lot (all of that corner is university-land, the southwest and southeast corners are not).
Other projects include:
- A new mini student center for the north side of campus, near the new North Bluff housing community
- A new expansion of the catholic student center on campus
- Two new GLO houses
- A new research building to connect the College of Engineering's Student Projects Building with the College of Arts and Sciences Foundry
UA to build center for water research