INITIAL FEEDBACK
“Newman Architects’ service to UConn as the bridging architect for the Werth Tower project set the stage for the project’s successful implementation under a separate design-build contract. They very effectively established criteria - for building design and performance, for site development, and for sustainability - that encapsulated our institution’s vision for the project. ln addition to the knowledge Newman Architects brings to the table, they are excellent listeners and superb facilitators. ln a very compressed time frame, they brought all university stakeholders to the table, guiding our constituents in developing a consensus around project priorities. They worked with us to develop the building program with an attention to nuance that ensured our collective intentions were carried through into the design-build process, and that our completed, award-winning new residence hall supports our institution’s mission and vision. As part of their services to UConn for the project, Newman served as the University’s eyes and ears through the design-build procurement process, during development of the design-build team’s construction documents, and through the construction and closeout period. Their team’s expertise and their diligence ensured that the product the University received through the design-build process met our expectations for architectural quality, durability, sustainability and building performance, and that our programmatic intentions were carried through into the completed and occupied project. After only three and a half months of program verification and bridging documents development, and after only twenty months of construction, we have a new living-learning residence hall which exceeds our expectations for the project, and achieves the vision that we set forth for this first new project to be completed under the State of Connecticut’s Next Generation Connecticut initiative for UConn.”
Laura Cruickshank, FAIA Master Planner and Chief Architect AVP for University Planning, Design and Construction University of Connecticut