Category Archives: Project Updates

Downtown Dr. Foster James Penny Building opens May 16!

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The department of Facilities’ Project Management Office has been hard at work updating and renovating the downtown Dr. Foster James Penny Building.

University of Lethbridge officials will officially open building in downtown Lethbridge on Thursday, May 16 beginning at 11 a.m.

Penny Building lobby rendering - Small

An artist’s conception of the lobby area inside the Penny Building.

The building, formerly a furniture store, is located in downtown Lethbridge at 324 5th St. S.

It was gifted to the U of L by long-time Lethbridge residents and restaurant entrepreneurs Jim and Hazel Penny. The building is named in honour of their late son Foster, a noted medical doctor and educator who passed away at age 44 in 1992.

In addition to providing a gallery space for Fine Arts students, the 2,862 gross sq. m. (approximately 30,000 sq.ft.) building also provides an ideal space for community events, with two large meeting rooms which are equipped with audio-visual equipment and flexible seating.

The Penny Building is also home to the U of L’s alumni relations office, the annual giving program offices and a U of L gift store.

The building has undergone extensive interior renovations, and in addition to the enhancements to the main floor spaces, now features an elevator, renovated and accessible washrooms, upgraded mechanical systems and a fresh and contemporary interior décor.

Read more about the project here.

 

Campus construction projects starting soon

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The University of Lethbridge has met with a significant challenge in dealing with recent budget cuts. Several departments across campus have felt the hit including Facilities. The parking lot project won’t be as extensive as previously reported, and the UCA North Patio renovation project has been postponed until further notice.

However, several other exciting projects are in the works to help enhance our campus and  create a more sustainable environment.

Food Services Renovations

Now that the U of L has a new food vendor coming on board, work to update the food services area in UCA will get underway this summer.

Work to improve the Amamark food services area in University Hall and LINC will begin in May. Due to the extensive renovations of this project, Coulee Junction (CJ’s) will be closed for the summer.

Prelim view CJ's 2

CJ’s will be renamed “The Urban Market.” The floor area will expand from 885 sq. metres to 1,085 sq. metres. The facility will see several upgrades including new electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems, and renovations to the Aramark Catering business offices, food service areas, dining room, and cooking and food prep stations. The new venue is set to open August 2013.

In addition, Fresh Express in Block C of U Hall will be transformed into Subway, and The Station (Level 9 LINC) will become Starbucks.

Parking Lot Rehabilitation

Due to budget constraints, work on the western parking lots will be limited to completion of last year’s work as well as repairs to some badly damaged asphalt resulting from a harsh winter conditions.

Library Roof

The Library roof will undergo work as crews replace the roofing membrane that has been lifted by the area’s notorious winds. So long as Mother Nature cooperates, the project will last from about May to mid-August. During this time the south entrance to the Library from the Aperture loop will be closed.

The Library’s south patio doors will also be closed intermittently throughout the summer however, the north entrance will remain open.

PE Tunnel and South Plaza Rehabilitation

The South Plaza will see about 1,500 sq. m. of concrete removed and re-poured along the exterior of the Max Bell Aquatic Centre and Student’s Union Building. This area will be closed from May to December to allow heavy equipment to move easily within the site.

Due to construction both inside the tunnel and on the plaza, the tunnel will be closed for the duration of the project.

Construction fencing and snow fencing will be placed around the site. Entrances highlighted in red on the below image indicate door closures for the duration of the project. Entrances highlighted in green (PE Building) indicate temporary public access.

H:AppsDraftRNOPedestrian Tunnel South Plaza RehabilitationP

 

Pedestrians traveling from the Library to the upper campus are encouraged to use the pathways north of the Library to the northern building entrances.

Vehicular traffic will be directed through Lot D. Public transit stops will be moved back towards the Library entrance (highlighted in pink above).

 

Floors across campus getting facelifts

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davonian walkway small 2The Caretaking department has been busy refurbishing floors across the University of Lethbridge.

After the success of the renewed aggregate concrete flooring in the Physical Education Building last summer, Caretaking took its floor polishing skills to the University Centre for the Arts Atrium, which is being stripped, ground and polished during evenings and weekends to ensure the least amount of interruption possible.

The 5,800 sq. ft. area should be completed in time for the Canada-wide Science Fair taking place at the U of L in May. Due to uneven floors, some dust may escape the grinding/polishing machine.

The original 1967 hardwood floor near CJ’s food services has also been refurbished. It was sanded and sealed to revive the natural wood colour.

Meanwhile, another flooring project is taking place in the Devonian walkway linking the Library building to UCA.

Caretaking crews are working to strip 13 years of wax from the floor, a task that hasn’t been taken on since the Library was built in 2000.

The floor is actually made of rubber, not linoleum, and as such, the sealer finish used all those years ago wasn’t the correct type, thus discolouring the floor. In addition, the floor area doesn’t get much oxygen which has created an atmosphere for the planters to form yellow rings on the floor due to oxidization.

Once the floor is stripped and a special rubber sealer is applied, the yellow rings will begin to fade and the original colour will shine through. The project should be completed by the first week of March.

In an effort to create better pedestrian traffic flow, the planters and seating will be replaced in the centre of the walkway making a natural right and left lane for people to walk. This trial will last about a month to determine its effectiveness. If unsuccessful, the plants will be returned to their original setting.

The Grounds department will maintain the plants to ensure they are not a pedestrian safety issue.

The digital signage televisions will remain where they are.

The Caretaking department’s next flooring project is set to take place in the Hall of Honour outside the Library doors. Minor work on this area has already begun on the floor edges when Caretaking workers are not able to access the Atrium.

For more information contact Facilities at 403-329-2602.

Come celebrate the new Campus Master Plan!

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The University of Lethbridge recently celebrated its 45th anniversary, but we`re already looking ahead to the future.

Our campus has seen a lot of changes over the years, and we`re excited to enhance it even more by creating a compact, pedestrian friendly university.

To do that, we set out to create a new University Campus Master Plan with recommendations to guide the planning decisions for the physical campus at U of L for the next 25 years.

The 217-page document was ratified by the U of L Board of Governors in December 2012. Read more about the plan here.

A public open house celebrating the new plan will take place on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.

The informal event begins with a social reception from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the newly-renovated stairwell area of the Physical Education Building followed by a presentation during the Architecture and Design course in PE264 at 6 p.m.

The reception will feature image boards, banners and slide show media. A short minute presentation will take place, with the consultant teams in attendance for casual conversation.

The main presentation in PE264, will be jointly presented by Associate Director of Campus Planning and Architecture Spencer Court, and representatives from project consultants Moriyama + Teshima Architects (Toronto) and Gibbs Gage Architects (Calgary). A short question period will follow.

These events are free and all members of the University and broader community are invited to attend.  If you have questions, please contact Spencer Court at spencer.court@uleth.ca

Another busy building year at U of L

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It’s a New Year which means a new list of campus enhancing activities is being planned by the Facilities department.

The Project Management Office (PMO) is gearing up for next summer’s construction season with several projects aimed to improve campus life for the University community.

A significant project taking place is the rehabilitation of the PE underground tunnel and south plaza replacement. Construction is set to begin in May and run through to the end of the year.

The project addresses necessary infrastructure upgrades including tunnel leak repairs as well as work to improve the air quality and lighting. The tunnel murals should be preserved unless unforeseen circumstances arise.

Work on the south plaza will see about 1,500 sq. m. of concrete removed and re-poured along the exterior of the Max Bell Aquatic Centre and Student’s Union Building up to the north side of the library and rotunda.

Pedestrian Tunnel South Plaza Rehabilitation

Because the area above the tunnel cannot withstand more than 10,000 lbs. of weight, the underground tunnel will be closed throughout the duration of the project to allow the coordination of heavy duty excavation equipment.

The Aperture Drive bus loop and Lot D with the loop will be also closed during construction. A new, temporary bus route will be planned in conjunction with the City of Lethbridge. The new route will be announced when it is finalized.

The tunnel will remain closed during both June and October convocations. More details regarding this project will be released as it becomes available.

The final phase of the Parking Lot Redevelopment Project will also get underway this summer. The project includes paving Lots E and G, installing landscaping and trees, and the construction of storm water management and drainage systems.

The new residence in Aperture Park will open in July 2013. The last sections of concrete pouring for the 259-bed facility has already taken place. The pouring of the residence roof on Dec. 12 was a significant milestone for the construction crew and we were happy to have the University Board of Governors take in a tour of the site the following day.

Housing is already taking applications for returning students. Read more about what the residence will look like here.

Report outlines vision for renewal of University Hall

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The impending release of the University Campus Master Plan and forthcoming Strategic Planning are important milestones for the University that will help shape the future of our campus and University community.

One of the University’s goals is to become a comprehensive research university with a strong focus on graduate studies and a foundation in liberal arts. Part of that goal is to provide an up-to-date science program and the U of L has earmarked a new science facility as its highest capital priority.

This endeavour is dubbed The Destination Project and is composed of three main elements: New construction geared toward supporting high-intensity science research and teaching; the redevelopment of vacated space in University Hall for alternate users; and the development of additional campus infrastructure to provide heating and cooling, emergency power, and other related support.

The University Hall Renewal Visioning and Inception Planning Report is the latest milestone in the three-tiered project.

The document describes the long-term vision for University Hall, its future purpose and the conceivable mixture of building uses. It also touches on design principles and the possible reorganization of University Hall’s physical layout.

View the report here.

More information and history on The Destination Project can be found here.

Parking Lot Redevelopment Project wins Green Award

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Parking Project Manager, Dick Lutwick (left) and Director of Security and Parking Services, John O’Keeffe were pleased to accept a Green List award on behalf of Facilities.

We are excited to announce that the Parking Lot Redevelopment Project was recognized for its environmentally friendly and sustainable design by the City of Lethbridge.

Project Manager Dick Lutwick accepted the City Green List award at a celebration event this past Friday.

The first half of the two-year project was completed earlier this fall.The redesign improves storm water management by collecting rain water into landscaped bioswales which aids in removing sediments prior to the water being released into the storm sewer system and into the river.

Additional landscaping including several varieties of grasses, plants, shrubs and trees will provide a visually pleasing atmosphere, but more importantly it will deliver wind abatement for buildings and pedestrians.

Click here for more information on this project.

Information on the City of Lethbridge Green List Awards can be found here.