University of Arkansas Projects

[zman9810]

Good grief! That is nothing like what I thought was going to be built. I remember something about keeping the new addition in the same style so that it would not stick out- not this!. When they talked about finishing out the Collegiate Gothic buildings to follow the 1925 master plan I thought that was a return for all of the central campus area to that feel of place. This doesn't fit in with anything in that area- it sure doesn't fit in with the east facade of the Mullins Library. What an oddball look for that location.

Who exactly makes these decisions? I'd like to hear a defense if one is possible- for this I don't think one is.

[thewizard16]

Well, this one caught me by surprise and I normally keep tabs on what they're planning on these projects. This is a direct contradiction to the new master plan (which is, ironically, the old master plan) and seems like a complete insult to the historic district on campus and what is one of the most stately looking old buildings on campus. It's surrounded by gothic buildings (Chemistry, Agriculture, and Home Economics) and the post-modern but well blended addition to the library (which serves as a nice transition to the old part of campus), and this will stick out like a sore thumb. It does seem likely that Blackwell's connection to the school of architecture (he's the department chair!) had something to do with this, hopefully for cost savings or to show off their faculty's work on campus but I'm surprised and disappointed in this. Nanoscale would have been a fitting project for him, that sector of campus is much more suitable to this modern style. The future Union renovations/expansion would have been a good project for him. The Fine Arts Complex addition would have been a good project. Almost any project in any OTHER sector of campus would have been a good project for his style, but I cannot see anyway that this will blend with the original, regal architecture of Vol Walker. Not only will this not age well, it's going to diminish the impact of that building in the long term too. I thought this building was on the historic register, aren't there rules about what they can build on to it?

[Mith242]

Yeah, I think it would be great to have this somewhere else on campus. But that location is just really a bad spot. I'm not sure how the rules apply to historic structures. Maybe it doesn't apply because this will just be adding on to a part of the building. Just as long as you leave the rest of the original structure intact perhaps? On paper maybe it seems like a good idea. Having someone like him design something that has to do with the Architecture program. But unless there's some alterations to that rendering I just can't see that blending in at all.

[wmr]

They must want to have a modern, current building for the architecture program to showcase. Thats understandable. Just not...right...there. Damn.

Show a little respect for the sense of place on that area of campus. You don't just plop down buildings like that with no regard to their environment.

If this happens, I will lose a lot of respect for Blackwell. This building/addition just simply doesn't make good aesthetic sense.

I'm sure he won't care what I think, though.

[wmr]

I think maybe I get their thinking. In places like London and Paris, uber-modern structures intermingled with a lot of really old buildings makes a striking contrast and that in itself is a statement.

But Fayetteville doesn't have a very high percentage of old buildings. In fact, within view of the back of Vol Walker, there are already several BAD mid century modern attempts. This building won't make a statement as much as it will just further confuse the identity of that area of campus.

Let Blackwell re-imagine Yocum and Humphries or the Fine Arts building. Leave our small historic core alone, please. This is almost as bad as placing a giant modern structure on Old Main lawn.

Of all the campus buildings that could be aesthetically improved by an ultra modern addition, Vol Walker is at the bottom of the list, right above Old Main.

[zman9810]

1. Here's shot of the new Garland Center bookstore and parking deck. It has been generating some discussion about the facade. I'm not sure what to make of it- it is better than just having bare concrete but not by much.

2. This is where the addition to Vol Walker Hall will be. I still can't imagine how someone thinks the building in that rendering is appropriate for this location. When the leaves are off the trees it will stick out even more.

[Mith242]

1. Here's shot of the new Garland Center bookstore and parking deck. It has been generating some discussion about the facade. I'm not sure what to make of it- it is better than just having bare concrete but not by much.

2. This is where the addition to Vol Walker Hall will be. I still can't imagine how someone thinks the building in that rendering is appropriate for this location. When the leaves are off the trees it will stick out even more.

Thanks for the pics. I've been considering going down as the parking deck gets closer to completion. I'm not sure what to think of that design as well. It's not bad, it's more of, it's just not what I had expected. If it's built up high enough guess there won't be any picture taking from up there.

And once again on Blackwell's design, if it were anywhere else on campus I probably wouldn't have any problem with it. But yeah that just seems like a bad spot to put something like that in. I keep hoping I'm wrong, but I'm just not seeing how it's going to 'blend in'.

[comreguy]

1. Here's shot of the new Garland Center bookstore and parking deck. It has been generating some discussion about the facade. I'm not sure what to make of it- it is better than just having bare concrete but not by much.

2. This is where the addition to Vol Walker Hall will be. I still can't imagine how someone thinks the building in that rendering is appropriate for this location. When the leaves are off the trees it will stick out even more.

I disagree that the facade of the bookstore and deck are bad. I appreciate the U of A's attempt to mask the fact that the building is a parking garage with creative uses of products. Once they add the glass to make it look like the rendering and add landscaping, it should be even more attractive. There would have been a mass revolt if the U of A built a structure similar to the deck by the Stadium and Business School. At least they did something interesting.

[thewizard16]

Thanks for the pictures, I keep meaning to post some but never got around to it. I like the facade on the parking deck quite a bit, although I admit I wasn't wild about it at first. I think it looks much more attractive than standard bare concrete. And although I like the front retail/office section and open center atrium of Harmon, I still think this will blend far better in the area it's being built with all the red brick buildings on that end of campus. One thing I don't entirely get is the facade also being on the retail building to the right.... It seems like they could have just made it an attractive building in it's own right but they covered it in the same floating facade. They've done this with the law school addition and the floating wall on JB Hunt too. They look interesting I suppose, but I'd think it makes the windows almost impossible to clean.

The bookstore is supposed to open July 26th, so they're apparently going to be in high gear on that project the next couple weeks. I saw they were putting in trees by the new street side and working on the interior of the retail spaces (and the bookstore) at the end of last week. I'll drive by it again this afternoon.

[wmr]

Yeah I think it looks pretty good for a parking structure. I bet those windows will stay dirty!

One of the biggest goofs on campus, IMO, is that there used to be an almost unspoiled view of the Ozarks from the Greek Theater, one of the last places on campus with a great, unobstructed view.

When the Harmon Garage was built, it completely ruined that view and really diminished the setting on campus, IMO. I noticed they planted a bunch of trees behind the Greek Theater recently, probably to partially remedy that issue. It kind of made me sick to my stomach the first time I saw that concrete box in place of where I used to see green rolling mountains. The views from campus really used to set it apart, but it seems no care has been taken to keep the views over the past 20 years.

With that said, I really wish the University could figure out a way to work with the city and get those awful new powerlines buried across Dickson. That view from campus used to idyllic. Now its got an industrial feel. Such a shame...

[zman9810]

I wouldn't say the deck facade is bad, it just is not what I expected it would be like. I'm sure the individual pieces are very secure but it gives me the feeling that if a strong wind came up they would all blow off and sail through the air. I do like the color scheme with all the different shades and the finished product with landscaping should make a much better looking building than the other two decks.

[Mith242]

In other university news look like enrollment will be over 20,000 for the first time. In fact it looks like they'll be well over at around 20,719. Looks like there's a pretty big freshman class coming in. In fact it looks like the university is scrambling to try to come up with housing for all of them, reopening some of the old dorms. Even there there won't be enough room on campus, looks like they'll sign some deals with some off campus apartments to try to get everyone in.

[wmr]

I wonder if this increasing enrollment is going to change the U of A's plans for construction. They apparently are re-opening some old dorms this fall that they had planned to demolish.

Hopefully they can fast track some new housing because enrollment is only going to keep increasing with each class under the Lottery Scholarship.

[Mith242]

I wonder if this increasing enrollment is going to change the U of A's plans for construction. They apparently are re-opening some old dorms this fall that they had planned to demolish.

Hopefully they can fast track some new housing because enrollment is only going to keep increasing with each class under the Lottery Scholarship.

Yeah I've been sorta wondering about that myself. Looks like you'd have to fast track some that wouldn't be located on an old dorm's location. That way they could try to transition over.

[thewizard16]

I wonder if this increasing enrollment is going to change the U of A's plans for construction. They apparently are re-opening some old dorms this fall that they had planned to demolish.

Hopefully they can fast track some new housing because enrollment is only going to keep increasing with each class under the Lottery Scholarship.

The lottery's effect can't be exactly measured, but it's not driving most of the growth. It is still a very positive thing, and may allow many students to attend 4-year colleges in state that otherwise would not, and it may serve to help retain some students that would have otherwise gone out of state. In-state enrollment is up an estimated 200-250 for this next year, and it's unlikely that's all from the lottery considering there was a measurable drop in in-state new freshman last year. It does exceed the 2008 (record freshman class) enrollment for the UofA in in-state numbers though, so at least a little of the growth is probably lottery.

Yes, they do need to plan for the increased enrollment with housing (they're working on it with the academic spaces and there are several significant projects planned in the next few years). I wouldn't be surprised to see more upperclassmen being encouraged to live off-campus in the next few years, and the off-campus housing service expanding to assist with that goal. I'm not sure where they're going to put people when they start taking Pomfret (the largest individual residence hall) offline next summer (in phases, luckily) to start it's renovation.

[thewizard16]

If anyone gets a chance and is on campus, could pictures be taken of the new deck and such now that it's finished and operating? Now that I'm not up there anymore I find myself wondering how these things turn out.

In other news, the University announced plans to seek private funding for, and construct, a new "Football Operations Facility" south of Reynold's stadium. There'd been whispers about this for a while (this project is directly connected to the eventual "bowling" in of the stadium), but I didn't realize they already had $12 million secured for it and plans were ready to go. I find the plan for elevated practice fields fascinating, but I hope they put more than one level of parking under it... otherwise they're doing themselves a distinct disservice in the long run. More news at the links:

Updated link, with some pretty good renderings:

http://www.arkansassports360.com/20581/a-look-at-renderings-for-the-new-university-of-arkansas-football-center

Brief blurb:

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=124335.54928.136464

[zman9810]

If anyone gets a chance and is on campus, could pictures be taken of the new deck and such now that it's finished and operating? Now that I'm not up there anymore I find myself wondering how these things turn out.

In other news, the University announced plans to seek private funding for, and construct, a new "Football Operations Facility" south of Reynold's stadium. There'd been whispers about this for a while (this project is directly connected to the eventual "bowling" in of the stadium), but I didn't realize they already had $12 million secured for it and plans were ready to go. I find the plan for elevated practice fields fascinating, but I hope they put more than one level of parking under it... otherwise they're doing themselves a distinct disservice in the long run. More news at the links:

Updated link, with some pretty good renderings:

http://www.arkansassports360.com/20581/a-look-at-renderings-for-the-new-university-of-arkansas-football-center

Brief blurb:

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=124335.54928.136464

Very interesting- I wasn't aware of what all was planned. The elevated practice fields with parking underneath is a great way to make the most of the limited space there. I also very much like the idea of replacing Barnhill Arena with a 5,000 seat arena specifically for volleyball and gymnastics. Barnhill has outlived it's usefulness. It seems a shame to block off that NE corner of the stadium though- I remember watching games from there many years ago but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Looking at those renderings I don't see 80,000 sq ft of new construction. What am I missing? There looks to be an extension of the present building and another smaller building but they don't seem to add up to that much sq footage.

[thewizard16]

Very interesting- I wasn't aware of what all was planned. The elevated practice fields with parking underneath is a great way to make the most of the limited space there. I also very much like the idea of replacing Barnhill Arena with a 5,000 seat arena specifically for volleyball and gymnastics. Barnhill has outlived it's usefulness. It seems a shame to block off that NE corner of the stadium though- I remember watching games from there many years ago but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Looking at those renderings I don't see 80,000 sq ft of new construction. What am I missing? There looks to be an extension of the present building and another smaller building but they don't seem to add up to that much sq footage.

That's what I thought too at first, but it's possible the building in the rendering in front of the current Walker center is bigger than it looks. It looks to me like it extends all the way from almost next to Barnhill/Bev Lewis down to just past the strange angled entrance hall. It that building, from left to right, is two or more stories, then the square footage statement makes more sense.

I've outlined the entire new building area in the rendering for explanation purposes:

As circled, it looks to me like the new building is two stories, and it extends along the front of the Walker Center for that last third of the building, and then the keeps going. With that considered, I guess I can see 80,000 sq. ft.

[LRguy21]

So the master plan as is, calls for adding more seats to the stadium to the north? Im guessing the so called "pit" in that area will be replaced with green space and parking underneath too?

Also, did anyone catch that little tid-bit about expanding Dickson through Gregson Hall and ending it on stadium? What is that about?

[akahogfan]

Looking at those renderings I don't see 80,000 sq ft of new construction. What am I missing? There looks to be an extension of the present building and another smaller building but they don't seem to add up to that much sq footage.

Looks like there will be plenty of footage underneath the new green space. Pretty cool IMO.

http://www.hogdb.com/2010/10/27/photo-gallery-arkansas-razorback-football-center/

[zman9810]

Looks like there will be plenty of footage underneath the new green space. Pretty cool IMO.

http://www.hogdb.com/2010/10/27/photo-gallery-arkansas-razorback-football-center/

Yes, that is where the additional space is- the first floor is underground so to speak. The second floor is what is seen with the grand entrance hall.

I missed that about Dickson being extended but that idea goes directly against what they meant to do when they closed Garland to through traffic. They keep saying they want to direct traffic away from the center of campus and Dickson extended to the stadium would be heavily used.

[comreguy]

Yes, that is where the additional space is- the first floor is underground so to speak. The second floor is what is seen with the grand entrance hall.

I missed that about Dickson being extended but that idea goes directly against what they meant to do when they closed Garland to through traffic. They keep saying they want to direct traffic away from the center of campus and Dickson extended to the stadium would be heavily used.

Closer reading reveals that Dickson extension would be pedestrian only...

[thewizard16]

Closer reading reveals that Dickson extension would be pedestrian only...

I hadn't read through the master plan or documents outside the basic press release, so I didn't catch any of that. Pedestrian makes far more sense. There's already a walking connection between the end of Dickson and the Stadium, but it's poorly designed and rarely used outside of major events. A redesign to make a more direct, friendlier pedestrian path from the top of the hill down to the stadium would be beneficial on game days and to regular students going back and forth from those parts of campus.

I just looked through the athletics master plan overview and I like most of it, actually. A closer look at the new facility indicated they're going to be building up that section behind the stadium quite a bit. If the new entrance hall/hall of fame is going to connect to the existing weightroom, that means it would have to be at that level, which is currently the second floor above ground. So most of the new building is hidden under the new plaza/green space, which would be about level to Razorback Rd. instead of the current pit-like area the practice fields are in. I like that idea a lot, I guess I just hadn't looked at the renderings close enough to realize that's what they were planning. The rest of the plan is pretty good too. Barnhill needs to go- it's far past it's prime and the constant repairs to an extremely outdated facility don't make sense in the long run. The rerouting of pedestrian paths also makes far more sense than their current placements (which are more like afterthoughts than planned paths/plazas like the plan calls for), and I really like the idea of putting the Pit underground and having greenspace on top. As the University wants to expand, they're going to have to do more of this anyway. They have a lot less usable land around the core of campus than most universities their size, so creative and efficient land use (something they've not been great about thus far) should be a big priority when planning for the future.

[Mith242]

I hadn't read through the master plan or documents outside the basic press release, so I didn't catch any of that. Pedestrian makes far more sense. There's already a walking connection between the end of Dickson and the Stadium, but it's poorly designed and rarely used outside of major events. A redesign to make a more direct, friendlier pedestrian path from the top of the hill down to the stadium would be beneficial on game days and to regular students going back and forth from those parts of campus.

In a little bit different news. At the moment the city and the university are working together on the Oak Ridge Trail. It will extend west of the Frisco Trail on Center St. Right now I don't think the trail is going to go very far into the actual campus. But plans are to eventually have it extend all the way to the vicinity of Razorback Stadium.

[zman9810]

Closer reading reveals that Dickson extension would be pedestrian only...

Good to know- a street extension would be trouble waiting to happen. The grade down the hill is too steep for vehicles in a busy area like that. Can't imagine what the first icy weather would be like.

I didn't read it anywhere in those links but is there a plan to finish the west side facade of the stadium to match the east side? The west side still looks much like it did before the major expansion. It is very visible and detracts from the overall image of the stadium.