University of Alabama updates

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by rolltide2013

That all sounds great about the NOAA. One of my professors seemed really excited about it last spring. I hope that UA really starts to put out lot more research in the next few years with the water center being here and the engineering quad being completed. I wish Tuscaloosa would get a research park. I don't think Alabama can give Sen Shelby enough praise.

I think I read that the bridge is being relocated to provide a pathway to the Bryce campus? It seems odd to me to move a bridge and build a new one to the dorm instead of just building a new one somewhere else. Is the one going to the dorm too small or something? It would be pretty cool to have a pedestrian bridge going from presidential to Manderson.

That's interesting... I can't imagine, though, where exactly a pedestrian bridge is needed to get to the Bryce property. Traffic on Hackberry is hardly horrendous.

As far as Tuscaloosa establishing a research park, I think that's a great idea. I think it would be a pretty good idea for the university to retrofit all of the older buildings on the Bryce campus and make them usable for research firms and companies. That way, UA could pick up some leasing income while allowing buildings to be occupied that initially would sit empty as well as provide a direct link between the school and the research firms/companies.

[rolltide2013]

Originally Posted by quattordici

That's interesting... I can't imagine, though, where exactly a pedestrian bridge is needed to get to the Bryce property. Traffic on Hackberry is hardly horrendous.

As far as Tuscaloosa establishing a research park, I think that's a great idea. I think it would be a pretty good idea for the university to retrofit all of the older buildings on the Bryce campus and make them usable for research firms and companies. That way, UA could pick up some leasing income while allowing buildings to be occupied that initially would sit empty as well as provide a direct link between the school and the research firms/companies.

That's an awesome idea. They could walk across the street if they needed to speak to a professor...

[SpawnOfVulcan]

LINK

Apparently the Riverside pedestrian bridge is to be replaced by another bride, completed by Aug 15. I hope it's something that looks better than the one they're moving.

[ttownfeen]

University of Alabama plans $25 million road project

“This road will open up the Bryce property and will be the impetus to start development,” said UA planner and designer Dan Wolfe.

“All of the things we have in our master plan will be easily accessible,” he said.

UA plans to construct new buildings and use existing ones on the 160-acre property. There are plans for student housing, a performing arts center and administrative buildings, Wolfe said.

There is no definite timeline for the road project, said Cathy Andreen, UA director of media relations.

“There are several studies that must be completed to comply with ALDOT and Federal Highway Administration regulations and procedures before the road design can be initiated,” she said.

A four-lane road will connect the end point of Fifth Avenue to Hackberry Lane near Shelby Hall. A two-lane road is planned to connect that extension to Jack Warner Parkway.

The entire road project, including construction, security, lighting, emergency phones, bus shelters, architecture, engineering and other fees is projected to cost $25,134,670.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I found a PowerPoint pdf that has some renderings that I'd yet to see. LINK

Rendering of The Ferg expansion is on page 32

Shelby Hall fountain can be seen on page 7

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Here are some updates from around campus; took these today.

V Just a view from the pedestrian bridge that links the Student Services Center and the Ferg parking deck. Took this because if the Shelby Quad Fountain is large enough, you could have a pretty nice view from here. V



V Construction on The Ferg V



V Work is almost finished on the final building at the SEC V



V Work site for the Shelby Quad fountain V

[rolltide2013]

Thanks for the pictures quattordici. I have never thought about the view from the bridge. It will probably be really nice. I walked by the other day, and they are adding two, mirroring, bricked areas between HIB and SERC. Its when you enter the quad by walking through MIB and SERC. I'm having a hard time identifying a name for them, but its where they do like an elliptical, bricked structure with flowers and landscaping in the middle of it.

Also, they've almost finished updating the street lights on University. They're currently working on the one in front of Bryant-Denny. There appears to only be one left, the one a little past Gallalee if you're heading down University and Gallalee is on your left. They have done them in a somewhat random order, at least to me any way haha.

I kind of think the landscaping they added in the middle of the ferg is ugly...At least the tree looks squashed or something. I wonder how that will look in the colder seasons.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by rolltide2013

Thanks for the pictures quattordici. I have never thought about the view from the bridge. It will probably be really nice. I walked by the other day, and they are adding two, mirroring, bricked areas between HIB and SERC. Its when you enter the quad by walking through MIB and SERC. I'm having a hard time identifying a name for them, but its where they do like an elliptical, bricked structure with flowers and landscaping in the middle of it.

Also, they've almost finished updating the street lights on University. They're currently working on the one in front of Bryant-Denny. There appears to only be one left, the one a little past Gallalee if you're heading down University and Gallalee is on your left. They have done them in a somewhat random order, at least to me any way haha.

I kind of think the landscaping they added in the middle of the ferg is ugly...At least the tree looks squashed or something. I wonder how that will look in the colder seasons.

Hmmm.... I'm in Farrah now, so I think I'll go take a look at what you're talking about, since I'm also running around the building trying to avoid my adviser....

[rolltide2013]

Haha rolltide. I saw it when I walked towards HIB from the ferg. There is a pretty large cut in the green fence where you can see pretty well.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Here's what I found:



Some other stuff.





Thanks again for telling us about those things between HM and the SERC; I think they'll look pretty good once that corridor is finished.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

More updates:

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I don't have pictures, but it looks like they'll remove the current pedestrian bridge across Hackberry within the next day or two. I don't know what they're going to do with it, but I imagine it will be reused as the ped. bridge crossing Jack Warner, between the student center under construction and the Park at Manderson Landing. Just by eyeing it, it seems like it could also be reasonably used as a link between the National Water Center and the Riverside Parking Deck.

Here are some pictures of progress on the fountain in the Shelby Quad:

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I visited the fountain construction site yesterday. There are two concentric rings. Both of the rings are identical (save for their diameter). It's killing me that we have no rendering to look at. I'm just dying for this thing to be nauseatingly elaborate... The largest of the rings appears to be, roughly, the size of the Shelby Hall rotunda.

[ttownfeen]

Are you expecting something like the Trevi Fountain , Q?

I personally wouldn't put it past Shelby.

[ttownfeen]

Speaking of renderings, is there any to be found of the Ferg expansion? I can't find them if they exist.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Haha, no, not that nauseatingly huge. Maybe a larger version of the one on the UNA campus. As for The Ferg, there is a rendering in a link I posted a few weeks ago. I'd repost the link but its a pain to do on a phone.

[ttownfeen]

I tried to find the link, but I just couldn't. Could you repost it?

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I was wrong, it was actually Atlanta68 that posted it: LINK

Page 32 has a sketch of the Ferg expansion.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

University of Alabama to offer software engineering concentration

By Melissa Brown
AL.com
LINK

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The University of Alabama will begin offering a software engineering concentration this fall, the sixth degree option available within the computer science program.

According to the CS website, the concentration's creation is in response to the growing demand for "skilled, creative technology workers."

Students working toward a computer science degree have been able to take software engineering courses for some time, but the new concentration will officially recognize software expertise, according to a UA press release.

"Computing is a key factor to our continued economic growth," David Cordes, professor and head of the computer science department, said. "This concentration will help ensure that UA continues to provide the people in the state with the educational opportunities needed to successfully compete in tomorrow's global economy."

The concentration will consist of 12 hours of specialized course work -- less than required for a minor -- but can be incorporated into a student's schedule without increasing the number of hours needed to obtain a degree.

According to the release, students will learn about human-computer interaction, software design, web-based systems and project management, among other topics.

UA professors and administrators believe the new concentration will give students an extra leg-up in the marketplace.

"The software engineering concentration will make our students competitive for the increasing number of local, regional and national high-paying jobs for well-qualified software engineers," associate professor Jeffrey Carver.

........................

Seems that recently the university has been beefing up its engineering offerings; great news, especially in a state with some pretty competitive engineering programs.

[ttownfeen]

Thanks, but that Ferg sketch is so...wanting. Where are the 360 degree architectural renderings that usually accompany projects such as these?