GRAND VALLEY INTENSIVE INTERVENTION UNIT Archives - School Construction News

Kansas State Stadium Getting Facelift

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State University’s Bill Snyder Family Stadium is getting a new look this off-season, as a new building is slowly rising on the western edge of the field. The Wildcats are looking forward to a new seven-story, 250,000-square-foot structure, housing the future press box and ticket office beginning with the 2013 season, but are fortunate to be able to use the stadium in its current form while work is being completed.

The university broke ground on the $75 million project in late April, with construction continuing through the 2012 season, and completion slated for just before the first game of the 2013 season. GE Johnson out of Colorado Springs and Mortenson Construction from Minnesota are the construction managers for the project, with design led by Los Angeles firm AECOM, with assistance from Heery Design.

“The idea is that we want to enhance the overall fan experience for everybody involved,” assistant university architect and project manager David McMullen explained. “There will be improved facilities from everything from concessions to suites — we’ll have several levels of suites available to the general public. There will also be a Hall of Fame where we can have exhibits of various players and the history of K-State football.”

Some of the main attractions will be the new “tailgate terrace” and a new set of clubs and outdoor suites. Season ticket holders in suites and clubs will get all-inclusive food and beverage packages. The Hall of Fame will also be included in the new building.

The expansion will also include some basic convenience upgrades, including more concessions and restroom options, a new ticket office, a dining hall for student athletes, and additional K-State fan/student shops.

The new building will represent the largest single-structure project ever undertaken at the campus. The current press box will remain in use until the end of the 2012 season.

“The idea for the fan experience this fall is going to be as much interest in what is going on as it is maybe what it’s going to be when its done,” McMullen explained, before adding that fans would be safely directed around the construction during games in 2012. “The stadium will stand as an icon to Kansas State University for 100 years or more,” he predicted.

A major milestone was reached in mid-August, when a building on the south end of the stadium was demolished. The structure previously supplied fan retail, first aid and restroom functions. Restroom facilities at neighboring Bramlage Coliseum, home of the K-State basketball teams, will be left open during games this season, to make up for the loss of bathrooms until the new facilities are completed, along with temporary bathrooms that will be added inside the stadium. A large tent will replace the fan-ware retail function in the short-term.

K-State’s home opener for the 2012 season, September 1 against Missouri State, is already sold out. The Wildcats hope to continue their recent success under head football coach Bill Snyder, who led the team to a 10-2 record, securing a second place finish in the Big 12 Conference last year. Excitement continues to mount as the football team was ranked in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 this August, making it the first time the Wildcats have secured that honor since 2004.

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Bio-Defense Facility at KSU On Track for Funding

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Based on a budget proposal announcement announced by the president’s office on Monday morning for fiscal year 2012, funding for the nation’s Bio and Agro-Defense Facility at Kansas State University is on track.

The $150 million allotted to to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the project assures that “a safe and secure food supply remains a national priority,” according to a statement from the school.

“We understand the difficult economic climate our nation faces today,” said Tom Thornton, KBA president. “That’s why we appreciate even more the resolve and commitment of the Department of Homeland Security to fund the NBAF. There is no question that a safe and secure food supply for every American is a national priority of the highest order.”

The total $650 million, 500,000 square foot facility will replace the 50-year-old Plum Island facility in New York, which is outdated and lacks space, according to the school. It will complement the nearby the Biosecurity Research Institute (BSL-3) facility also in Manhattan.

Officials expect the facility to be operational by 2015.

The facility aims to ensure public health and the safety and security of the national food supply through integrated research, response, and diagnostic capabilities to protect animal and public health, the school reports.

The facility also will enhance the nation’s capability to protect livestock and the livestock industry from both naturally occurring and intentionally introduced disease threats. The NBAF willl conduct research on emerging zoonotic and animal diseases in order to develop vaccine countermeasures for foreign animal diseases and advanced test and evaluation capabilities.

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LEED Silver in Kansas

OLATHE, Kan. — The new $10.5 million Woodland Elementary School was awarded LEED Silver certification, making it the first educational facility in the state to achieve that environmental designation.

The 500-student, 73,000-square-foot school was designed by Hollis and Miller Architects of Overland. Universal Construction Co. Inc. of Overland Park built the project.

LEED certification was achieved through the use of recycled materials during construction, and more than 37 percent of construction materials were harvested or manufactured within 500 miles of the project site.

In addition, 75 percent of construction waste was diverted away from landfills through recycling strategies.

Low-flow fixtures, low-maintenance vegetation and a lighting system utilizing classroom occupancy sensors and controls that allow for different levels of lighting were included in the project.

Hollis and Miller Architects estimates that water usage will be reduced 29.5 percent with low-flow technology and minimal irrigation plants. Additionally, school officials will use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and purchase some of their operational energy from green sources through the utility companies.

Hollis and Miller Architects is in the process of creating an educational area in the school where the LEED certification plaque will be mounted and a graphical mural will explain the building’s green features.

“We think it’s important to display to students and the public the green and LEED features of the school, highlighting the environmental friendliness of the building in the process,” says John Southard, Hollis and Miller Architects’ partner-in-charge on the project. “If we can incorporate some teaching elements into the program and they’re using the facility as an example, then that’s just par for the course.”

Woodland Elementary School was built using an existing prototype based on an elementary school that opened in 2007.

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