University Times

The following is a summary of construction completed this summer at Pitt and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) as well as ongoing projects.

Information was provided by the Office of Facilities Management and the Health Science News Bureau.

Accessibility Projects Ramps, handrails, signage and automatic doors have been added to make entrances accessible to disabled persons at the Bigelow Boulevard side of the Cathedral of Learning, Clapp and Langley halls, the Crawford complex, the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) and two Schenley Quadrangle retail establishments on Forbes Avenue. Accessibility improvements to the main Thackeray Hall entrance will be completed this fall.

Accessibility improvements also were made to the Music Building, and a new elevator was installed in the Cathedral to give disabled persons access to the second floor.

(Total: $500,000) Allen Hall This $165,000 project — funded by a combination of University educational and general fund money and private gifts — renovated existing labs on the ground floor and constructed new office space, including a new air conditioning system, on the second floor for the physics and astronomy department.

Benedum Hall Construction is nearing completion on a new research distance learning laboratory in the Benedum Hall basement for the engineering school's Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program (MSEP). This facility will provide two-way video and audio communications for MSEP graduate courses to multiple off-campus locations. The U.S. Navy is funding construction of the $280,000 lab as a Department of Defense research project.

Bradford Campus This recently completed, $2.2 million project upgraded ventilation systems and some classrooms in Fisher Hall.

Campus Safety Systems A $230,000 project is underway to install a new fire alarm system in the Graduate School of Public Health. Pitt will spend an additional $600,000 for new fire alarm systems in Old Engineering Hall, LRDC and Thackeray Hall.

A new fire alarm system also is planned for the Cathedral, to be bid this fall; the project's first phase is expected to cost $1.4 million. In addition, the state plans to spend $4 million to install safety systems (fire alarm and/or sprinkler systems) in Benedum Hall, the Chevron Science Center, Forbes Quadrangle, the Library and Information Science building and Salk Hall.

Cathedral of Learning Renovations to Classrooms G-8 and G-24 included new audio-visual equipment and lighting, painting, and replacement of carpet and window coverings ($215,000).

Chevron Science Center Renovations costing $74,000 have been completed in the second phase of improvements to the Ashe Auditorium. A permanent partition wall was installed between Rooms 12 and 12B. Room 12B was painted and panels were installed to improve acoustics. Room 12A was similarly renovated last year, and room 12 is scheduled for improvement next summer.

Fitzgerald Field House This $550,000 project renovated offices on the mezzanine and second floor for the basketball, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball and wrestling programs.

Forbes Pavilion On Aug. 1, University Graphics and Printing was relocated from the Cathedral to 200 Forbes Pavilion. The new location, previously a student health area, provides 4,800 square feet of new offices and graphics labs ($296,500).

Forbes Quadrangle Improvements to the G-1 and G-2 level of A Lot included concrete repair, deck coating, drainage improvements and restriping ($500,000 in auxiliary funds).

Gardner Steel Conference Center This $250,000 joint project of the School of Engineering and the mathematics department created a 2,300 square foot laboratory for the computer instruction of calculus. Facilities Management designed the lab to accommodate up to 80 computer work stations.

Greensburg Campus A new, $7 million library/administration building provides 55,000 square feet of space for the UPG library and the offices of admissions, registration, accounts payable and purchasing. The building, funded by a combination of Pitt educational and general funds and state money, was dedicated in May.

A $3.4 million contract was awarded last month for construction of a 100-bed dormitory, scheduled to open in August 1996. Pitt auxiliary monies will fund the project.

Grounds Improvements Recent improvements to the Pittsburgh campus grounds include low maintenance ground cover on the hillside near the OC parking garage, new trees and shrubs along University Drive, replacement of steps in the University Drive area, and sidewalk replacement on the Forbes Avenue side of the William Pitt Union.

Heinz Chapel Organ A restoration of the organ system, including replacement of the instrument and installation of new pipes, was funded by $420,000 in private gifts. (See Aug. 31 University Times.) Iroquois Building As part of this $55 million project, 50,100 square feet of offices, classrooms and labs is being constructed for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors. Completion of this $13.2 million part of the project is scheduled for Dec. 31, 1995.

A 572-car underground parking garage for UPMC leaseholders opened Sept. 11.

The Forbes Tower Shops, a commercial section of the project, are scheduled to be occupied incrementally between January and October 1996.

Johnstown Campus Construction recently began on a $7 million, 50,000 square foot classroom/administration building to house classrooms, computer labs and administrative offices.

The building, which is funded by a combination of Pitt education and general funds and state money, is scheduled for completion in October 1996.

Learning Research and Development Center A $140,000 renovation of the fifth floor, providing 2,800 square feet of upgraded office space, is set to be completed by Sept. 30.

Nuclear Physics Lab Construction of a $2.1 million, 5,600 square foot building connecting Allen Hall, Old Engineering Hall and the Nuclear Physics Laboratory is scheduled for completion by Sept. 30. The facility was constructed with University funds and a matching grant from the National Science Foundation.

Pitt Stadium Phase I of the stadium renovation project has been completed. Structural elements were added to support a new second floor at the field and Gate 3 levels. The present Gate 3 was renovated into a loading dock and a new spectator entrance for Gate 3 was created. The new second floor houses an enlarged equipment room and home locker room, along with training and weight rooms. A new entrance also was created from the home locker room onto the field, and a new scoreboard was installed at the north end of the stadium. (Football facility: $6.6 million. Scoreboard: $360,000. All projects were funded by private gifts.) University Child Development Center UCDC was relocated from Bellefield Hall to a newly renovated facility on Clyde Street. The new center, which opened May 30, is licensed to accommodate 210 children in 11 classrooms, an increase from the 161 licensed in Bellefield Hall ($2 million).

Victoria Building Renovation of Classrooms 123, 125 and 129 included new seating, carpet replacement, lighting upgrades, painting and audio-visual improvements, including installation of the electronic infrastructure for distance learning technology ($252,000).