ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
May 28 2014
65
231
43 84 431 331
84
84 52
Vol. XXVI • No. 11
31
45
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Work Under Way on $35M UAB Student Center By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
After a tear down and major relocation of services, a $35 million student center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is now under construction. “We are very excited about this project, which has been discussed for many years,” said Harlan Sands, UAB vice provost for administration and quality improvement. “Our long-term strategic plan is to grow enrollments, particularly in areas where UAB has a national and regional reputation, like some of our pre-health fields, biomedical engineering and science-related fields. To do that we need more capacity. We must have attractive facilities to recruit students. That’s why having a central location that meets all the services they require is so important.” The 159,000 sq. ft. (14,771 sq m) building will be four stories and include a food service and dining area, performance lounge, retail store, book store, outdoor patio dining, coffee shop, 280-seat theater, meeting rooms, office suites, 7,000 sq. ft. (650 sq m) multi-purpose room, video gaming stations and an exterior third-floor balcony. In addition, a nearby parking lot is being replaced. “The original building was designed in the late 1970s, when UAB was a different institution,” Sands said. “We had to back fit it for student functions, dining, gatherings, performances, meetings, lectures and student affairs activities. We designed the new building from the ground up. We wanted a comfortable, inviting space that will enhance the overall student experience.” Birmingham’s Doster Construction Co. is building the structure, which replaces the Hill University Center at the corner of University Boulevard and 14th Street. NCM Demolition & Remediation LP of Marietta, Ga., tore down the building in August 2013. The scope of the work involved a five-story tower on deep foundations, a two-story auditorium, bookstore, food service, meeting room and boiler/chiller plant. Workers were dealing with a concrete frame with brick facade. All shallow foundations were removed and the existing caissons were cut to two feet below grade and abandoned in place. Equipment salvaged prior to the demolition included a chiller, cooling tower, sand filter, pumps, boiler, generator, motor control center, water heaters, exhaust fans, condensing units, transformers, a fire alarm panel, security cameras, elevator controls, pendant lights, communications equipment, furniture and food service equipment. Materials and debris that were separated and salvaged included cooper see UAB page 2
Herrington Architects photo
After a tear down and major relocation of services, a $35 million student center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is now under construction.