Construction begins, finishes on several key campus buildings

While most of UTC’s students spent their summer lounging at the pool, the University has completed several large construction projects and will begin several more in the fall semester. Renovations to longtime campus buildings and the construction of new facilities will await students when they return for fall classes on August 22.

One of the University’s largest projects, the second phase of the Aquatic and Recreation Center (ARC), is near completion and will be open for the upcoming fall semester. The second phase included the construction of an indoor aquatic facility complete with a lazy river, five-lane lap pool, kayak plunge pool, 30-person hot tub, and water slide.

Another large project, the new library, has begun the second stage of construction. Rentenbach, the company that constructed the ARC, was selected by the Tennessee State Building Commission to complete the building. Locating on the corner of Vine and Douglas Streets, the project includes a five-level, 184,725 square-foot library and an adjacent two-level, 14,778 square-foot lecture hall.

The new library will house a 24-hour study space, a café, an advanced computing center, lounges, moveable shelving, classrooms, and more. When the library opens, it will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building on campus. The building is slated to open in early 2012.

Recently, the University began dismantling the remainder of the facilities on Chamberlain Field. South Stadium, located on Vine Street, is carefully being taken down in order to save parts of the building to use for construction of a new pavilion and green space. According to Janet Spraker, UTC Director of Engineering Services, said., the bulk of the building will be demolished by the time fall classes begin. To read more about Chamberlain Field and South Stadium, click here.

In addition to new construction, multiple campus buildings have undergone renovations during the summer months. Campus Crossroads has been converted into an all-you-can-eat dining location. Students can purchase a meal plan that grants them unlimited access to the facility.

“The entire place has been gutted,” Cindee Pulliam, UTC Director of Auxiliary Services, said. “We’ve put in new walls, flooring, seating, and lighting. It looks great.”

The facility will include nine different dining stations, including a grill, breakfast bar, bakery, and salad bar. “We’ll also have an international cuisine station that will rotate dining options from all over the world. We’ll have everything from Mexican to Japanese to French,” Pulliam added. A separate facility in the same building will still include the popular Subway restaurant. The restaurant will now have a separate entrance and double service line.

The UTC ROTC Military Science and Leadership Program is getting a new home in the Old Alpha Delta Pi house on Douglas Street. The building is being completely renovated by receiving a complete interior face-lift and some updated landscaping.

A large space on the first floor of McClellan Gym has been designated as a math center. Computer terminals have been added to the space where students can go receive supplemental instruction and complete necessary assignments for their math classes.

In some smaller projects, the restrooms in Brock and Holt Halls are in the process of being completely renovated to include new facilities, flooring, and lighting. Most will be open by the time fall classes begin. Many of the campus’s parking lots were also repainted and resealed over summer break.

As the university begins fall semester, renovations will continue on several campus buildings. At the end of August, the process to convert Stagmaier Hall into dormitories will begin. Once construction is complete, the campus can house an additional 140 students in traditional suite-style dormitories.

The Patten House, where UTC Alumni Services and the University Club are located, is in the process of getting a new roof and exterior wood repairs. Situated on the corner of Oak Street and Palmetto Street, the 115-year-old house is one of the University’s prize facilities with its red brick, fine molding, slate roof and the two Civil War canons in the front yard.

“We’re giving that house new life while still being respectful to its past. The new roof will be made of slate just like the original one,” Spraker said.

The parking lot next to McClellan Gym and across from the Fifth Street parking garage is currently getting repaved and brought up to storm water standards and will be reopened for use soon. During the fall semester, space in Bretske Hall will be converted into drawing and painting studios for the Department of Art.