New Cooling Pipes

Over on the East Range, there has been a healthy amount of excavation in the past few weeks. The chilled water pipes for the Range rooms and Pavilions are all being updated to connect to the central chilling plants. There are several such plants around the University, and the nearest one to the East Range, according to workers on the site, is in the hospital complex.

Photo by GFC, 2009.03.12

Very long sections of flexible pipes could be seen laying on the ground near excavators. Some sections were at least 50 feet long. Instead of digging up the grass and dirt the entire length of the pipe, a small section is dug out, and then a truck extends an underground drill through the length of the planned pipeline.

Photo by GFC, 2009.02.26

Previous to this renovation, each Pavilion and Hotel had its own individual chilling unit. The units are primarily used to make cold water and run the air conditioners. Good idea to do this work before it gets really warm outside! The new system was designed for greater efficiency and lower long-term costs.

It was arguably the most exciting project the East Lawn has had in years. The other recent large event to affect this area was the Robertson Hall construction. The parking that was lost on the south end of Hospital Drive was reinstated on the East Lawn, where a large chunk of grass was paved over to accommodate about 20 cars for daytime hospital patient parking.

Couric Cancer Center Update

Photo by GFC, 2009.02.26

The steel structure for the Emily Couric Cancer Center is up. There are a few viewer holes cut into the surrounding wooden fences. For background, here's a quick link to a previous post.

Photo by GFC, 2009.03.12

For a better view, cross under the train overpass and walk up the driveway to the right. It is visually startling to see these dark boxes against the brilliant white hospital building in the background. One section of the building, according to plans, will look like a white box jutting into the street. Perhaps the color scheme was purposeful? Everything else will be made of brick, of course.

Let's hope the sidewalk is wide enough, and the trees are hearty enough, to not make them look like just an afterthought. It would be fun to watch the trees get unloaded from trucks into the tree beds. Let's also hope there are some kind of bollards on the sidewalk corner to prevent cars from rolling onto the sidewalk during a hasty turn.

A Call For Transparency

A barrier at the South Lawn Project, twice the height of a student.
Photo by GFC, 2008.11.11

Opaque fencing is not the greatest medium through which to befriend construction workers. Charlottesville's Downtown Mall renovation is rare in using low fences between workers and the general public. At sites like the South Lawn Project, of course, low fencing is hazardous. Where safety measures allow them, chain-links or varied fencing with openings give off a much friendlier vibe. When entire sections of a familiar neighborhood are shut off with dark wooden boards, the areas become intimidating and secretive.

Construction, especially at an interactive, spread-out school like UVA, should not be about barriers and blockades. It should allow for an exchange of ideas, information and conversation between students and architects, between passers-by and day laborers. Too often, the average student or faculty response to new construction is "Oh, that detour is so annoying, I have to walk three minutes longer to get to class." Why not "That project is really neat. Did you hear that it'll hold 50 classrooms?"

UVA does have official websites about some projects, but not all. UVA Today, the daily newsletter, often contains links to various press releases, but like the Cavalier Daily, daily news is easy to discard. The student-run Cav Daily has the added issue of a short memory span. Most writers and editors are only at the University for four years and do on-site reporting for a
fraction of that time. It is difficult to maintain context in such a fast-paced environment. Facilities Management does have a website, although the design is outdated and difficult to navigate.

For a simple question, such as "What are they building at the Engineering school and how long should I expect this pedestrian detour?" it should not be necessary to search through city newspapers and five different University websites. It should not be necessary to download a 30-page PDF file and wade through it. UVA should coordinate and link all of its construction-related information on a single page, and it should also maintain separate pages for significant projects with current and frequent updates. UVA's official community relations meetings should be held more frequently and should be publicized more. Students should be able to attend forums where current projects are discussed by architects and contractors.

Taken through a chain-link at the Jefferson Park Avenue terrace.
Photo by GFC, 2008.09.11

In a time where architects are obsessed with "local" efforts, intimidating fencing with no opportunity for dialogue is hypocritical. Why bother to go local if the neighboring locals don't have the opportunity to understand the project? The class divide between bilingual, recently immigrated workers and triple-legacy, fourth generation students clearly exists. UVA pushes Non-Western Perspectives requirements and spring break trips to poverty-stricken foreign nations, but different cultures and the working families are in our very own backyard, just behind the fence.

Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center

The hospital is abuzz with new construction this year. One of the main projects is the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, which celebrated its groundbreaking last April and is slated for completion in 2011. The center is named after a Virginia State Senator who represented the Charlottesville area. Couric, sister of newscaster Katie, passed away in 2001 from pancreatic cancer. A good summary article of the project notes that Zimmer Gunsul Frasca is the architect. Gilbane and H.J. Russell Company are the general contractors for the project.

A visit to the site suggests that the lot started from scratch and was vacant. Of course, anyone familiar with UVA real estate would know that this lot has an excellent and therefore valuable location at the base of the hospital complex. Being valuable real estate, the lot was of course previously a parking garage. In anticipation of the leveling of this garage, UVA built a replacement garage in a nearby lot. This new garage is at least three times bigger and can be seen easily from Carter's Mountain or Monticello. (The Rotunda, by comparison, is almost impossible to spot.)

The groundbreaking last April was unique, according to UVA Today. Instead of shovels in the ground, a track excavator "bit a chunk out of" the old parking garage. Yum! The groundbreaking also featured UVA's very own Cavalier Marching Band playing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The Overture was written in defiance of Napoleon's advancing army... budget cuts?

Photos by GFC, 2009.01.19

The old garage came down pretty quickly, and then the debris was trucked away, and then the lot was completely leveled. Nothing was left except for utility connections. Now a structural grid has gone up and it seems that workers are already at least a story above the ground. Upon completion, the building will have one below-ground story and four above-grade stories.

South Lawn Bus Inlet and Ramp

Photo by GFC, 2009.01.19

Just this week, the new bus inlet behind Wilson Hall was completed. This stop is at the intersection of Brandon and JPA and will replace the temporary stop at the base of the wooden ramp to Cabell. The new stop is not yet operational but likely will be soon. The original steps leading up from Jefferson Park Avenue to Wilson have been restored. Those original steps were actually demolished to put these new steps in place. Next to the steps is a nice long ramp, for those of us who constantly trip up stairs. Of course, the ramp also makes the area ADA compliant. There is some lovely stone work along the ramp, which means waiting for the bus just got nicer!

Photo by GFC, 2009.01.19

Previously behind New Cabell, there was a large set of concrete steps leading down to the street. The handicap route, a randomly paved, unsightly black asphalt path, was off to the right and went past Dawson Row. It was inconvenient and also had uncomfortably steep grades in some spots.

When the South Lawn construction began, the large steps had to be demolished to make way for the new pedestrian terrace foundations. The bus stop inlet was shifted down the hill, to the east, and a temporary, zigzag wooden ramp went up from the inlet to allow street access. The ramp, which cost approximately $70,000 to build, has been around for about three years and will probably be around for a little while longer during the transition. There was not enough room at the site to create both a temporary set of stairs and a temporary ramp, so to make the path ADA accessible, the architect had no choice but to design the ramp.

Photo by GFC, 2008.10.16

Speaking of temporary ramps, Old Cabell Hall is long overdue for getting a permanent concrete replacement. The issue apparently has been discussed in the past but met resistance from the historical review boards. On the other hand, the recently renovated Cocke and Rouss halls, also McKim, Mead and White 19th century buildings, have lovely and subtle concrete ramps. It is only a matter of time... and funding.

New Engineering Buildings

Roads have been closed off near the football stadium for a few months now. Two new buildings are going up for the engineering school. One of the parking lots behind the Chemistry building no longer exists and has become a construction zone for one building. The other building is behind Thornton Hall.

Stadium road was closed down completely for a while, but has now reopened. Whitehead road is still closed off at Stadium road, though pedestrians can easily walk around the site. An article from the Cavalier Daily has some information about traffic patterns in the area and also notes that the combined cost of these buildings will be over $165 million.

The Community Relations page also has road information and notes that the first phase of the project is installing the underground utilities. One of the utilities being put into place at the moment is the sewer system. The sewer pipes can't go under the new building due to certain restrictions, such as safety, sanitation and access. As a result, they have to go under the adjacent road pavement.


The area of Whitehead Road that has been blocked off now boasts a 30-foot deep hole, complete with retention grids, ladders, heavy machinery, and of course dedicated workers.

Photos by GFC, 2009.01.19

The Orange Brick Road

Northeastern view from the Rotunda.
Photo by GFC, 2008.10.09

Over near the Rotunda, a new brick path is being put in place between the east colonnade and the Corner. This is one of many paths in the area that has been rebricked in recent years. The old paths get worn down and become hazardous because of loose or broken bricks. When the school determines that the old paths are not salvageable, they are usually fenced off with mesh, then the old bricks are removed, some dirt is dug up, the area is flattened and fitted with new bases, and then the bricks go in. Of course that's an oversimplification. It's a detailed process that often takes several months.

Over on the Downtown Mall, the same thing is happening at a larger scale. The City has heard a lot of debate from the public about the necessity of the re-bricking. It seems that drainage, electricity and plumbing were all related issues on the Mall that will improve dramatically after the renovation. The City maintains a great website about the project.

The path along the north side of the Rotunda was redone just a few years ago, and it is flatter and wider than the old path. Wheelchair users and joggers alike surely benefited from the change.

Northeastern view from the Rotunda.
Photo by GFC, 2008.11.19

Be sure to check out this excellent post about brick sidewalks from Rob Goodspeed, sent in to GFC from a reader. Goodspeed mentions two very important factors in sidewalks, weather and the coefficient of friction.