Board members hear construction plans, proposals

The Board of Visitors’ Building and Grounds Committee met yesterday to discuss and vote on a variety of construction projects, including proposed renovations to New Cabell Hall and a concentrated push for more widespread “green” technologies on Grounds.

University officials, looking to bring New Cabell Hall’s facilities and classrooms up to par with those found in adjacent buildings, approved plans to renovate New Cabell Hall. Construction could begin as soon as January, but the University must first obtain adequate state funding, said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget. The availability of these funds depends on debt capacity and “how comfortable the state is in issuing debt at this time,” she said.

University Architect David Neuman said the proposed changes would add more student-specific spaces, a café in the under-utilized courtyard and conference rooms.

“We would upgrade the entire facility,” he said, explaining that officials will renovate New Cabell Hall so that it is more akin to some of the University’s newest and most technologically-advanced developments, including the South Lawn Project. Neuman noted that the renovated, reconditioned New Cabell Hall would use less energy than the building does currently.

Apart from New Cabell renovations, Neuman also sought the Board’s approval for an additional residence hall on Alderman Road. Including Kellogg dormitory, it would mark the sixth new residence the University has included as part of an ongoing renovation project focusing on first-year housing. The dormitories currently under construction are scheduled for completion next spring, Neuman said.

Neuman also discussed plans yesterday for the construction of the Barry and Bill Battle building at the University Children’s Hospital on West Main Street. Three-fourths of the new building would be used for children’s services and one-fourth for outpatient services. In an ecologically-friendly move, the building if approved later this month would boast a “green” roof, energy-efficient “skin” and low-flow plumbing fixtures, Neuman said, as well as enhanced stormwater management systems.

Other efforts to increase the University’s level of eco-friendliness will include an environmental footprint reduction plan from the President’s Committee on Sustainability, the goal of which is to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions on Grounds. The plan’s reduction strategies focus on minimizing and mitigating emissions growth from new construction, catalyzing efficiency and conservation efforts, and increasing renewable energy generation and use.

Using these strategies, the University hopes to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2008 levels to reach year 2000 levels by 2020 — five years ahead of former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s previously outlined goal.

Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer, however, expressed concerns about how the University will reconcile the need for new space with plans to reduce emissions. The executive order does not allow for a decrease in carbon footprint, and under current construction practices, it would seem very difficult to achieve such levels, he said.

The University will need to slow down its building construction program because every new building adds to greenhouse gas emissions, Neuman said. He added that in the future, the University will need to try to use all existing buildings more effectively and efficiently.

Regarding the South Lawn Project, the project’s timetable will speed up to save money, Neuman said, noting that faculty members are scheduled to move into offices by January — one year ahead of schedule. Other parts of the project, including a 250-seat classroom, café, student reading areas and terrace will be completed this summer, six months ahead of schedule.