Hammertime: A campus construction update
At Utah State University, multiple construction projects are underway, with a more currently in the design phase, as well as seeking funding.
The reasons for these building projects range from a need for more space for growing colleges to a general need for more housing.
All upcoming building projects are planned to at least be a silver in the LEED rating system. LEED, standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system for how environmentally friendly a construction project is.
“Our department manages all the design requirements for new buildings,” said Jordy Guth, the associate director of planning and sustainability for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction. “And LEED is one of those requirements.”
Further requirements systems to reduce carbon footprints, and protect widllife.
“I have some special requirements as well for bird-friendly designs,” Guth said. “So every new building has to meet the bird-friendly design guidelines put out by the American Bird Conservancy.”
On average, construction projects will take about 12- to 18 months,but they often being on the longer side if demolition work is required first.
Perhaps the closest to completion based on estimations by USU’s Facilities Planning, Design and Construction on campus is that of the new Institute of Religion, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and which is expected to be finished by this spring.
The Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center, the new home for USU’s Department of World Languages and Cultures, is also close to completion. With a gross square footage of just slightly over 40,600, it is expected to be finished by July of this year, and officials have begun hosting tours of the site.
A 30,000 square feet track and expansions dubbed the EVR/ASPIRE is to be added to the existing facility at the Innovation Campus, which is expected to be finished by this May.
An addition on to the west side of the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center, named the Wanlass Center for Art Education and Research, is planned to be completed by 2025.
Perhaps one of the biggest projects is a redevelopment at the South Campus, close to the business school, library and engineering buildings.
This includes an extension of a utility tunnel to that area. This new tunnel will serve one of the new, more noticeable projects, a new South Campus residence hall.
The new residence hall will replace the now demolished Moen, Greaves and Reeder halls. They are expected to be finished by August.
To accompany this new residential hall is the addition of a new parking terrace. The 343-stall terrace will to help accommodate residents of the new residence hall, as well as replacing a pre-existing surface parking area. This is planned to be finished by the end of spring 2025.
The final new addition to the South Campus developments is the creation of a new center for the business school. The Kem and Carolyn Gardner Learning and Leadership Building will be added close by Huntsman Hall, with a planned completion date by next April.
The last of currently ongoing construction projects are renovations for a new spot for the computer science department, which has only recently begun construction back in March.
Further projects are in the designing and planning stages. These include two new roundabouts and a crosswalk on 1200 East, which is planned in conjecture with both the city of Logan and the Utah Department of Transportation. These are planned to begin work in this spring.
Renovations are planned for the TSC Skyroom as well, with work begining sometime during 2024.
A new lab for the College of Veterinary Medicine is planned to be built at the Innovation Campus as well. The lab is currently in the design process but will begin construction sometime during the spring.
Another construction project currently in the planning stage is a new statewide campus building in Monument Valley. Planned as a collaboration with the local school district there, the academic building will begin construction this spring. It is expected to be finished by 2025.
Paying for all these projects has been thought through.
“There’s actually a pretty big mix of how things get funded,” Guth said. “Sometimes the state will give us funding.”
Some projects need different sources of funding.
“Housing and parking are considered auxiliaries and so they have to be self funded,” Guth said. “They use bonding, using the revenue they generate to pay off their bonds.”
There is, however, a third option.
“A lot of times, if the college can bring donor funding to the table, it helps kind of leverage getting state funding,” Guth said.
It should be noted student fee funding can theoretically be used, however this is to be voted on by the students themselves. A good example of this is the TSC and the ARC.