UNC-Charlotte Construction

[AuLukey]

It's a far cry from the LEED building many of us students were petitioning to have built, but whatever. It's kind of ironic to call it a student union when the students' opinions were ignored.

Ho hum another boring architecture display at the University. I guess an LEED building would have looked pretty out of place amongst all that other drabness, anyway. Particularly the hideous Science and Technology building that I set foot in every day.

Who knows? This could be like the lowest possible level of LEED they could muster up if there a lot of skylights. You're probably right though. I actually like Woodward if that's the building you're talking about.

[TowerRooster]

Who knows? This could be like the lowest possible level of LEED they could muster up if there a lot of skylights. You're probably right though. I actually like Woodward if that's the building you're talking about.

Yeah, the Woodward building. I'm no big fan. Chancellor Woodward was great for the university academically, and this building is the epitome of that, our IT college grew and improved by leaps and bounds while he was here... heck, even while I'VE been here (5 years). The building is also the epitome of the architectural style he was trying to move the campus towards, though, unfortunately (IMHO).

It's be interesting to see what direction the campus moves towards with Dubois now in place. We already know he's pro-transit, as opposed to Woodward. Hopefully he'll push for some high-class architecture in the uptown building at the very least.

[AuLukey]

It's be interesting to see what direction the campus moves towards with Dubois now in place. We already know he's pro-transit, as opposed to Woodward. Hopefully he'll push for some high-class architecture in the uptown building at the very least.

Yea, that's probably why the original design for the uptown building got scrapped. I'm imaging it will come out like J&W looks. Maybe that will be the LEED building. It would fit in better uptown anyway.

[Charlotteman]

Wow the Nursing School building is fabulous!

How inspired it would be to go to classes there. The nursing school I went to in Jax looked like a Soviet commie block monstrosity (built in the early 1970s).

[Miesian Corners]

I did some research on LEED/sustainable buildings on post secondary education campuses. Not one building under construction or planned in the UNC system is seeking the designation. Sad.

Meanwhile, the LA Community College system, University of Denver, Mt Holyoke, Bodowin, Ohlone College, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Harford Community College, and the University of South Carolina all have LEED structures in service or underway.

[atlrvr]

I believe the RFP for the downtown UNCC building makes LEED design either a requirement or heavy preference.

EDIT - I couldn't find the RFP for architects to submit on that building (probably because the proposals are now past due), but I did find this under General Requirements UNC-C building design standards manual.

http://fmbld02.uncc.edu/DesignManual/defau...al5-18-2006.pdf

Check out page 2 of this 217-page beast. By the way, it's dated May 18th, 2006, so this apparantly is a new addition, and hopefully will apply to all buildings going forward.

EDIT #2 - Hahah....MC should get special enjoyment out of this design standard. "Face Brick - Boren 'Special Morrocroft' #02-79-1."

Edited June 12, 2006 by atlrvr

[GamecockEngineer]

I did some research on LEED/sustainable buildings on post secondary education campuses. Not one building under construction or planned in the UNC system is seeking the designation. Sad.

Meanwhile, the LA Community College system, University of Denver, Mt Holyoke, Bodowin, Ohlone College, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Harford Community College, and the University of South Carolina all have LEED structures in service or underway.

I just graduate from Carolina... that is, South Carolina. They now offer a "Sustainable Construction for Civil Engineers" course, that focuses on Low Impact Development and LEED Sustainable Design. I took the course, and depending on wether or not I will be working on LEED projects, I plan to get LEED certified soon. The "Green Dorm" or West Quad was studied as an example, as it is LEED Certified Silver. Carolina is also beginning constuction on the Innovista Research Campus, and all buildings either under construction or in planning phases are going for LEED certification. The first research campus building, Arnold School of Public Health, was just completed and is waiting to hear if it met certification. It's really a cool building. Hopefully a lot more development around the country will go for LEED. It's ashame UNCC didn't. Did they give any reasons why?

[RiverwoodCLT]

Congraulation GamecockEngineer, good luck and get us building LEED buildings around here.

[TowerRooster]

Congraulation GamecockEngineer, good luck and get us building LEED buildings around here.

Catawba College in Salisbury has some kind of building called "environmental center" or something that I BELIEVE is LEED..... it's a pretty sweet building, built among some beautiful land/landscaping with rocks, trees, flowing water, etc.. Does anyone have any pictures?

[treason]

Here is the exact reason why the UNCC library is being renovated...Nothing to do with too much sunlight entering the building.

http://library.uncc.edu/construction/history/

[Miesian Corners]

EDIT #2 - Hahah....MC should get special enjoyment out of this design standard. "Face Brick - Boren 'Special Morrocroft' #02-79-1."

AAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! Boren actually named a brick color after that horrid place?! Hell, why don't we just move the campus to Morrowcroft and the library can be in the Harris Teeter with the fake dome. No, wait. The library can simply move into the Morrison Regional Library, since it also has a fake dome. No, that's not it, it can move to the Borders which also has a fake dome. (Jefferson is rolling ove in his grave.) What to do? So many party hats, so few places to wear them. Since it already has the triumphant "Arc de Morrocroft" on Sharon Rd, no fancy new entrace would be required.

[AuLukey]

Here is the exact reason why the UNCC library is being renovated...Nothing to do with too much sunlight entering the building.

http://library.uncc.edu/construction/history/

Yea that sunlight thing was a rumor spread awhile back through the student council that worked its way onto here and other forums.

[dubone]

I did some research on LEED/sustainable buildings on post secondary education campuses. Not one building under construction or planned in the UNC system is seeking the designation. Sad.

Meanwhile, the LA Community College system, University of Denver, Mt Holyoke, Bodowin, Ohlone College, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Harford Community College, and the University of South Carolina all have LEED structures in service or underway.

I found at least one example to the contrary. The visitor center a the Botanical Gardens at UNC-Chapel Hill's campus is pursuing a Platinum LEED certification.

http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/gardensgift052306.htm

Hopefully, it will be an example for more to follow around the UNC system.

[AuLukey]

I found at least one example to the contrary. The visitor center a the Botanical Gardens at UNC-Chapel Hill's campus is pursuing a Platinum LEED certification.

Hopefully, it will be an example for more to follow around the UNC system.

Which is probably the primary reason why the UNCC student union LEED certification obviously got vetoed. UNC can't have any of the other schools beating it to the punch. I bet it got turned down in the UNC system committee meeting to make sure the BG at UNC was the first.

[cltheel.sdl]

I found at least one example to the contrary. The visitor center a the Botanical Gardens at UNC-Chapel Hill's campus is pursuing a Platinum LEED certification.

http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/gardensgift052306.htm

Hopefully, it will be an example for more to follow around the UNC system.

That's one nice looking building!

[GamecockEngineer]

Platinum LEED certification is not only hard to get, but it's very expensive. From my experience, a silver certified building can pay for itself in appx 5-8 yrs. I would hate to think what the return period is on a platinum building.

[dubone]

I am sure you are just kidding, but it seems to me that if the UNCC students paid for part and private funds were raised for other parts, as is how the botanical garden LEED features are funded, then UNCC could also get a LEED building. The project will be funded privately and already has 6.5M in donations. UNCC could have a lot more if private and alumni financial support were sufficient.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I am sure you are just kidding, but it seems to me that if the UNCC students paid for part and private funds were raised for other parts, as is how the botanical garden LEED features are funded, then UNCC could also get a LEED building. The project will be funded privately and already has 6.5M in donations. UNCC could have a lot more if private and alumni financial support were sufficient.

Indeed. The new student union is coming out of student fees, they could have raised it a bit more (my wallet is glad that they didn't).

On the subject of financial support - the endowment of UNC Charlotte is at $100m, about 1/4 of NC State ($380m) and about 1/14 of Chapel Hill's ($1.486 Billion).

Edited June 20, 2006 by moonshield

[AuLukey]

Well, it's not a matter of the students at UNCC not paying for it (they don't have much choice in that matter) but they did set up a campus wide petition (of which I signed) that got almost 75% of the then student body's signatures. That petition was to get the student union LEED certified at any level. I honestly don't think it was a UNCC decision to build it otherwise. With the ammount of sudden campus expansion, it is more than obvious that the school itself has the funds, private or public, for this kind of project. It had both strong student body, faculty, and student government support.

I really still am ticked off about the ammount of support CH and State get. Schools like ECU, UNCG, and Charlotte all get poor contributions in comparison, even when comparing size. History can only bring so much in donations. Sure the school has been around for a long time, but those original alumni's children are long gone, where's the money really coming from?

[DanRNC]

I found at least one example to the contrary. The visitor center a the Botanical Gardens at UNC-Chapel Hill's campus is pursuing a Platinum LEED certification.

Actually there a couple of more buildings at UNC waiting for LEED certification.

Link

[dubone]

I don't want to linger too long on the subject, but since it was put out there, I feel the need to respond. There is no guarantee of equal funding for anything. UNC and NC State are the UNC system's national universities and flagships of the system overall. The research done at those schools brings hundreds of millions of economic impact, possibly billions if you consider the collaboration with Duke researchers.

UNCC, UNCA, UNCW, UNCP, ECU, WCU, Appallachian, etc., are not national research universities, but regional teaching universities. Their primary purpose is to serve regional needs, which they do quite well (some better than others). Undergraduate comparisons are one thing, and it is granted that undergraduates don't really benefit that much from the reknown and research level of the institution as a whole. But the research done at the graduate level at Chapel Hill and State, as well as by research professors, are significant and attract the grants, and thus the higher need for capital.

Universities, as with most insitutions, grow organically. Throwing money in a direction only goes so far, as the organizational infrastructure needs to be in place to process through the funds efficiently and effectively. UNC has grown with significant private contributions, long term capital and operational expenditures by the state, etc. UNCC will grow, too, but cannot be expected to be at the same bredth and depth of a national research university that has formed over multiple centuries.

The comparisons are fine to the extent that rivalries and competition are healthy. But at some point, it borders on irrational to expect that everything should simply be equal.

[AuLukey]

To a certain degree, I agree. I believe that the funds should be weighted, but not nearly on the scale that they are. UNCC and ECU get criticized for being lesser; and that irritates me because they aren't given the resources to "catch up." When the "top" school gets twice the funding of the second which, in turn, gets more than 5 times more itself than the third and fourth universities seems a bit over the top; especially when the school's sizes do not reflect it. In some states (ie Arizona) I can understand a system where the most powerful school gets the major bulk of the funding; but not in a system where the many of the schools' sizes (but not egos) are relatively equal in comparison. I know this would mean State would get more money than CH. And I understand the reasoning for the funding. I just believe the scales are tipped a lil' too much.

But of course, I'm biased.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I really still am ticked off about the ammount of support CH and State get. Schools like ECU, UNCG, and Charlotte all get poor contributions in comparison, even when comparing size. History can only bring so much in donations. Sure the school has been around for a long time, but those original alumni's children are long gone, where's the money really coming from?

Well look at what Chapel Hill has. A med school, law school, hundreds of PhD programs, and the alumni contribute more as a percentage than the alumni of my (our?) school do - in fact the alumni giving rate at UNC Charlotte has been pretty poor for a very long time. There is certainly more money in their (Chapel Hill's) alumni and a pride that is typical of a well established institution.

How I look at is: UNC Charlotte has been an university for 40 years. Such growth in 40 years is impressive in any book and the next 50 years will only be better. The university became research-intensive last year and corporate partnerships are only on the increase. More money is coming in as programs expand. Alumni are getting into higher places and giving rates are on the rise. Only good things will come, but we don't have to look at UNC Chapel Hill with the inferiority complex that is so typical of our region. Let's celebrate what the school is and where its headed. Hell, I would be pissed if I were getting a second rate education - I would have transfered by now. But reality tells me I haven't transferred, and that I'm certainly getting my dollar's worth.

That's just my opinion.

Edited June 21, 2006 by moonshield

[AuLukey]

Well look at what Chapel Hill has. A med school, law school, hundreds of PhD programs, and the alumni contribute more as a percentage than the alumni of my (our?) school do - in fact the alumni giving rate at UNC Charlotte has been pretty poor for a very long time. There is certainly more money in their (Chapel Hill's) alumni and a pride that is typical of a well established institution.

How I look at is: UNC Charlotte has been an university for 40 years. Such growth in 40 years is impressive in any book and the next 50 years will only be better. The university became research-intensive last year and corporate partnerships are only on the increase. More money is coming in as programs expand. Alumni are getting into higher places and giving rates are on the rise. Only good things will come, but we don't have to look at UNC Chapel Hill with the inferiority complex that is so typical of our region. Let's celebrate what the school is and where its headed. Hell, I would be pissed if I were getting a second rate education - I would have transfered by now. But reality tells me I haven't transferred, and that I'm certainly getting my dollar's worth.

That's just my opinion.

haha yea i know. and you're right. i just don't like it.

Anywho, construction on the new entrance is still slated for July last I heard; so we should start seeing equipment coming out pretty soon. I wonder what they'll do with the 70's entrance sign.

[AuLukey]

I came across this article on NinerOnline.com that talks about all construction on campus.

http://www.nineronline.com/media/storage/p...nineronline.com

It states also that construction on the new entrance will not begin til the beginning of 07' because of funding issues. The student union construction is slated to begin by years end.