UNLV keeps growing

Student recreation center, law school building to open later this fall

MARLENE KARAS/VIEWPhase Two of the UNLV Student Union was dedicated Sept. 6.The addition features a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a game room, stores and patio seating. Phase One of the project opened last year. MARLENE KARAS/VIEWUNLV?s new Student Recreation Center is nearly complete and will open this fall. It is one of several new buildings on campus. Advertisement

UNLV is getting busy. With construction running rampant on the campus, students have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

For the 2007-08 school year, four new buildings will be completed this fall, with at least three more scheduled to be completed in 2008. In addition, the university is working on a turf-reduction project to reduce the amount of water used on the main campus.

First up on UNLV's laundry list of construction is the new student union. While phase one of the new union opened a year ago, the last phase opened in time for the 2007-08 school year, said Susan Hobbes, director of planning and construction for UNLV.

Phase two construction began in summer 2006 and was designed by Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects and Ellerbe Becket. The project contractor is the Penta Building Group.

To celebrate the new building, UNLV hosted a dedication ceremony on Sept. 6. Phase two features include a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a new game room, convenience store, retail stores and outdoor patio seating.

"(Students) have more food venues, nice outdoor space and more study space," Hobbes said.

Another highly anticipated opening is the school's 184,000-square-foot recreation and wellness center, which will open later this fall. Paid for entirely by student fees, the complex will feature weight rooms, pools, racquetball, volleyball, basketball courts and a jogging track. It also will house the Student Health Center, a pharmacy, and student counseling and psychological services. A group fitness room will play host to classes such as yoga, pilates, kickboxing and spin.

The facility will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to midnight; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to midnight.

For law students at the William S. Boyd School of Law, the Thomas & Mack Moot Court is opening this fall as a "fully functioning courtroom to house state and federal court proceedings," said Tony Allen, public affairs specialist for UNLV.

The room also will feature offices and a 180-seat auditorium for classroom learning and lectures, in addition to supporting trial advocacy, kids court and appellate proceedings.

The new Science and Engineering Building is scheduled to be completed in mid-2008 and will total more than 205,000 square feet. The project began in 2004 and has a budget of $75 million. The construction budget is $59 million. Sletten is the project contractor, and the architect is DPHS, Hobbes said.

"The building will achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver rating for using stone tile and veneer from a local quarry, capturing and routing lab reverse osmosis rejection water for use in restrooms, and reducing harmful indoor air contaminants," Allen said.

The new structure will include offices, classrooms and labs for research scientists and students.

Greenspun Hall will be completed in June 2008 and will be the fifth-largest academic building on the UNLV campus, said Allen. The 121,000-square-foot, five-story building will feature classroom space, broadcast studios for UNLV's radio and television stations, and a 190-seat auditorium.

"Greenspun Hall is also one of two demonstration projects under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, which gauges building sustainability and efficiency through the utilization of alternative and renewable energy technologies," Allen said.

Energy features for the building include "chilled beams" for heating and cooling, extensive use of natural light, and a photovoltaic array (solar modules) that will account for more than 15 percent of the total annual energy for the building, Allen said.

Greenspun Hall will house journalism and media studies, communication studies, criminal justice, public administration, social work, and environmental studies.

The Student Services Complex addition, which began last spring, is scheduled to be completed in May and will house the office of admissions, registrar and campus tours. Assemblage Studio is the project architect and the contractor is Penta, according to Hobbes. The project budget is $10 million and the construction budget is $8.1 million.

The Advanced Dental Education Building, located at UNLV's Shadow Lane campus, is scheduled to be completed this fall. The 44,000-square-foot space was designed by PGAL, and Sletten was the project's contractor. The estimated project budget was listed at $16 million and the construction budget was listed at $13 million.

"It is anticipated that a mix of the practices of orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery and general dentistry will occupy the building," Allen said.

Finally, UNLV facilities management has undertaken a turf reduction project, which is scheduled to be completed in October. The department is "replacing approximately 48,000 square feet of turf at the corner of Cottage Grove Avenue and Maryland Parkway," Allen said.

The project began in May and will reduce the turf on campus that isn't routinely used. The school went ahead with the project in an effort to reduce its overall water usage. The project will result in a concrete walkway, southern live oaks, large rocks and low water-use plant material, Allen said.