UNC-Charlotte Construction

[Niner National]

yeah it wasn't particularly beautiful, but you could see it well from North Tryon and coming down Mallard Creek.

When I was in school (05-09), they would light it up green on game days.

School spirit has waned a lot though unfortunately. As the basketball program fell from being one of the best programs outside the power conferences to a nobody, apathy has set in. Football gave it a bump, but going 2-10 last year didn't help.

[SgtCampsalot]

Actually I like this way better. I'd rather do my homework in that quad than in any of the other two designs (Belk, and original concept).

[SentioVenia]

I like that the oval stretches diagonally across the space à la Romare Bearden Park.  Too many of the open spaces at UNCC are symmetrical with straight lines.

[AuLukey]

*YAWN* I'm so unbelievably underwhelmed right now.  A lawn?  Really?  Yay another place to place frisbee.  There are TONS of places on campus with adequate space for activities.  This central part of the old campus needs to be iconic.  Okay, hurray there's a fountain, at least that's something.  But nothing about this is memorable.  Absolutely nothing.  First Ward Park looks better than this design.

[deleted]

4 hours ago, AuLukey said:

*YAWN* I'm so unbelievably underwhelmed right now.  A lawn?  Really?  Yay another place to place frisbee.  There are TONS of places on campus with adequate space for activities.  This central part of the old campus needs to be iconic.  Okay, hurray there's a fountain, at least that's something.  But nothing about this is memorable.  Absolutely nothing.  First Ward Park looks better than this design.

What do you have in mind (with a reasonable budget in mind)?  I like First Ward Park and think it will be much better in 5 years...

I think you have to retain open space to have a central gathering place and free speech area.  I personally prefer this to brick pavers and a concrete tower (historical value aside)...

[AuLukey]

What do you have in mind (with a reasonable budget in mind)?  I like First Ward Park and think it will be much better in 5 years...

I think you have to retain open space to have a central gathering place and free speech area.  I personally prefer this to brick pavers and a concrete tower (historical value aside)...

The campus needs something iconic. A structure (not necessarily a bell tower) or even a large-scale sculpture (think Metalmorphasis) would be leaps and bounds better than just a blank pavilion with some grass. Just on that part of campus alone there are two more open space common areas that also happen to abut the Denny complex:

So my point is, do something original. I was particularly uninspired by the previous bell tower rendering as well, so I'm not open to just plopping whatever there, it needs to symbolize the campus. It needs to be inspiring but it also needs to bring a sense of place.

And while the old bell tower may not have been beautiful, I loved it because it was so different than almost anything else in Charlotte. Plus there was still plenty of room for activities (if they had cleaned up the landscaping a bit.)

That grass field is going to be nothing more than a network of beaten, dirty footpaths after the school year starts anyway, that's exactly the reason why the previous quad had so many random pathways. It's just going to become a mud-pit. Too many people walk through this area on a daily basis without consideration of the landscaping crew. How will this be any different? Grass is not a good option for this crossroads. No way. No how.

[deleted]

^^

You make a lot of good points...I'm persuaded that they need to come up with something better.

[DEnd]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 7:38 AM, AuLukey said:

That grass field is going to be nothing more than a network of beaten, dirty footpaths after the school year starts anyway, that's exactly the reason why the previous quad had so many random pathways. It's just going to become a mud-pit. Too many people walk through this area on a daily basis without consideration of the landscaping crew. How will this be any different? Grass is not a good option for this crossroads. No way. No how.

Not necessarily.  The foot paths and mud pits happen because the grass dies.  The grass dies because the traffic causes the roots to be crushed.  By providing load bearing support around the roots this can be mitigated.  Grass or turf pavers are one solution to this issue. For heavy vehicular traffic concrete grass pavers are often used but for light vehicular traffic and foot traffic a plastic solution can be viable. 

[Niner National]

The school has allotted $1.5 million for improvements to the entrance on Tryon Street. Sounds like they want to drastically improve it like they did with the entrance on 49.

[SentioVenia]

When all is finished, won't that be considered the new "main entrance" to the school?

[Niner National]

22 minutes ago, SentioVenia said:

When all is finished, won't that be considered the new "main entrance" to the school?

IMO, yes.

I'd love to see the owner of the shopping center across the street help improve the street presence on the other side of the street as well. I'd love to see something that is two floors with the second floor being street level and the first floor being below street level with the retail spaces opening up to the parking lot. It would mask the parking lot, improve the street presence on Tryon, and hopefully help improve pedestrian activity along that corridor.

[urbanlover568]

THANK GOD! It's about time they renovate Burson! Earth Sciences deserve better than what they got. 

Edit: thought about wrong hall. This hall is bad also. Maybe they can put a cell tower on top of it, maybe then students will have reception inside. 

http://dodgeprojects.construction.com/Burson-Building--Renovation-_stcVVproductId151480611VVviewprod.htm

Edited June 22, 2016 by mpretori

[kermit]

Campus has a new highest-point landmark! A new cell phone tower was being erected near the Cone Center today. My view from Phillips road made it look significantly taller than the library. It also looked eerily like a thinner Belk Tower.

Ugh.

[deleted]

8 minutes ago, kermit said:

Campus has a new highest-point landmark! A new cell phone tower was being erected near the Cone Center today. My view from Phillips road made it look significantly taller than the library. It also looked eerily like a thinner Belk Tower.

Ugh.

Everyone wanted better cell service and a visible tower...what's the problem?  Kidding...

[urbanlover568]

55 minutes ago, kermit said:

Campus has a new highest-point landmark! A new cell phone tower was being erected near the Cone Center today. My view from Phillips road made it look significantly taller than the library. It also looked eerily like a thinner Belk Tower.

Ugh.

Now chem, phys, and math students will have the freedom to use their cellphones in core classes XD

[jednc]

4 hours ago, kermit said:

Campus has a new highest-point landmark! A new cell phone tower was being erected near the Cone Center today. My view from Phillips road made it look significantly taller than the library. It also looked eerily like a thinner Belk Tower.

Ugh.

With probably just as much charm as the Belk Tower.

[DavieNative]

17 hours ago, kermit said:

Campus has a new highest-point landmark! A new cell phone tower was being erected near the Cone Center today. My view from Phillips road made it look significantly taller than the library. It also looked eerily like a thinner Belk Tower.

Ugh.

I heard it was a TV broadcast antenna for athletics. Could be wrong but that was the rumor on campus this past year. 

[Guest StuckInASuburb]

Well I am back on campus, which means the only current UNCC student on urban planet is back to taking pictures. There have been a lot of happenings.

The Levine hall is almost done! People are supposed to move in later in the semester.

The Student Union has a name! Personally, I hope people start calling it the "Popp'n Martin" Student Union.

Oh yeah, and I found pieces to the Belk Tower, they are nicely rotting away behind North Deck with the extra lamp posts. 

[AuLukey]

Oh yeah, and I found pieces to the Belk Tower, they are nicely rotting away behind North Deck with the extra lamp posts. 

That's great news! Maybe they plan on reusing them somewhere else on campus. I assumed it was all just rubble

[Guest StuckInASuburb]

1 minute ago, AuLukey said:

 

That's great news! Maybe they plan on reusing them somewhere else on campus. I assumed it was all just rubble

 

I was assuming they were going to smash it up for souvenirs, regardless, if you want a piece for yourself its still around.

[tozmervo]

Hah, how charmingly Berlin Wall of them.

[DavieNative]

44 minutes ago, StuckInASuburb said:

Well I am back on campus, which means the only current UNCC student on urban planet is back to taking pictures.

Calm down hotshot, there are others we just might not post that often. Nice pictures by the way! I'm still not buying that students will be in Levine this semester. There are huge portions of walls that are unfinished and construction projects are notorious for not getting finished on  time at UNCC.

[kermit]

Bike share is comming to UNCC (good!)

it appears to be a complely different system than bcycle currently operates (bad? It will be incompatable with the bcycle station that is in front of the UNCC uptown building)

 

Edited October 6, 2016 by kermit

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

^I think that is a great idea!  Especially since campus has gotten so big!  It was virtually impossible to have classes on opposite sides of campus and make it on time (walking or taking shuttles).  So the bikes will definitely be a good idea in that aspect.  Wonder if they will incorporate using students 49er card (student id) to rent them or how they will go about that?   Think it could be a good idea to maybe be free for students who use their student id and then if there are families or visitors on campus, then the way B-cycle program works uptown could work as well to rent using (debit/credit card).

[Basil Babaa]

I went to UNCC back in the early 80s... Had to travel up that way to meet with a potential client for my metal buildings business and can't believe how much has changed!  Great pics! I feel so old. LOL.