UAB has grown exponentially in its 50 years, expanding its academic offerings and enrolling nearly 22,000 students this past fall. Its physical footprint is no exception: Campus now covers more than 100 city blocks. UAB continues to implement its Campus Master Plan through six new facilities to enhance instruction, research, technology and student life. Some are complete, some under construction and others are in planning stages. These include a new home for the Honors College and a new ROTC training facility, plus University Hall, Residence Hall 2020, the Technology Innovation Center and a Science and Engineering Complex.
Keep an eye out for grand openings and new construction starting in August.
University Hall
Just in time for classes to begin, the new College of Arts and Sciences building, University Hall, will celebrate its grand opening Aug. 22. Situated on the corner of 14th Street South and 10th Avenue, University Hall will house the departments of anthropology, computer science, English, foreign languages and literatures, mathematics, philosophy and social work.
Every undergraduate student, regardless of major, will take core classes through the College of Arts and Sciences, and the new building will touch every freshman who enters the university. It will provide modern teaching facilities and technologies and larger classrooms for students to learn and for faculty to conduct their scholarship and research. It also will be UAB’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building.
Every undergraduate student, regardless of major, will take core classes through the College of Arts and Sciences, and the new building will touch every freshman who enters the university. It will provide modern teaching facilities and technologies and larger classrooms for students to learn and for faculty to conduct their scholarship and research. It also will be UAB’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building.
ROTC training facility
The new 12,800-square-foot, $3 million ROTC training facility, located at 828 Eighth Court South, will open formally this fall. It includes three classrooms, nine offices, a 1,860-square-foot auditorium, storm shelter, supply and storage space, a cadet lounge/library, a cadre lounge, women’s and men’s locker rooms, a gym and an engagement skills trainer room for simulated combat.
The facility has been in use since April. A formal groundbreaking is scheduled tentatively for fall; keep an eye on the UAB Campus Calendar for more details.
The facility has been in use since April. A formal groundbreaking is scheduled tentatively for fall; keep an eye on the UAB Campus Calendar for more details.
New Honors College home
In June, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved a renovation to the former Snoozy’s Bookstore for a facility that also will house programs and activities of UAB’s Honors College — in addition to its current home in Spencer Honors House.
The renovation will comprise the entire two-story, 11,000-square-foot structure with a total construction cost of $2.69 million. The exterior grounds will be leveled and developed into a landscaped courtyard. Renovation is scheduled to begin in August and be completed in May 2020.
The renovation will comprise the entire two-story, 11,000-square-foot structure with a total construction cost of $2.69 million. The exterior grounds will be leveled and developed into a landscaped courtyard. Renovation is scheduled to begin in August and be completed in May 2020.
Residence Hall 2020
UAB’s newest student housing development, Residence Hall 2020, is under construction near the Campus Green on the south half of the block bordered by Ninth and 10th avenues South and 16th and 17th streets. Building plans allow for more than 730 students to join the 2,880 already housed in UAB’s six other residence halls; the new structure will include dedicated study spaces, a storm shelter, multi-use office space and a dining venue with three food vendors and a 250-person seating capacity. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2020.
The residence hall will be UAB’s second LEED-certified building and the first to earn a LEED Silver ranking.
The residence hall will be UAB’s second LEED-certified building and the first to earn a LEED Silver ranking.
Technology Innovation Center
The Board of Trustees also approved in June the final stage of planning for a new, $19.2 million technology facility to be built at 17th Street South and Ninth Avenue on the site of the Ninth Avenue Office Building. The 40,000-square-foot UAB Technology Innovation Center, expected to open in late 2020 or early 2021, will house the campus internet connectivity and technology infrastructure and also host co-location services to campus, offering power, bandwidth, cooling and physical security for servers used throughout the university. It will provide a state-of-the-art facility for the UAB’s data center and unique collaborative and individual work spaces for a number of UAB IT employees.
The new building, which replaces the Rust Computer Center, will host the fastest high-performance research computer in the state and the data highway that connects researchers throughout the University of Alabama System. It also will house an innovative and cost-efficient Tesla Powerpack battery system that increases system reliability and availability while reducing the carbon footprint and other innovative features to meet the technology needs of UAB students, faculty, researchers and clinicians.
The groundbreaking is planned 9 a.m. Aug. 14.
The new building, which replaces the Rust Computer Center, will host the fastest high-performance research computer in the state and the data highway that connects researchers throughout the University of Alabama System. It also will house an innovative and cost-efficient Tesla Powerpack battery system that increases system reliability and availability while reducing the carbon footprint and other innovative features to meet the technology needs of UAB students, faculty, researchers and clinicians.
The groundbreaking is planned 9 a.m. Aug. 14.
Science and Engineering Complex
In February, the Board of Trustees gave Stage 1 approval to move forward with planning for the first phase of a new Science and Engineering Complex to house the College of Arts and Sciences departments of biology, physics and chemistry.
In a future phase, the new complex, proposed for the Education Building’s current location, will support the unique instructional, research and collaborative needs of those programs, joining science, technology and engineering programs into a highly visible, modern space.
In a future phase, the new complex, proposed for the Education Building’s current location, will support the unique instructional, research and collaborative needs of those programs, joining science, technology and engineering programs into a highly visible, modern space.