Science and Engineering Complex Takes Next StepsUniversity files for city zoning approval, faculty continues review of teaching, lab space.
Plans for the future Science and Engineering Complex moved forward in November, as university officials filed an application for zoning approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission and GW faculty members met to provide further input on the building's interior spaces. The zoning application for the state-of-the-art facility, which would nearly double the space available at GW for science and engineering, was filed Nov. 15. The new complex--to be located on the site of the existing University Parking Garage, at 22nd and H streets, NW--received a unanimous green light from the GW Board of Trustees in mid-October. The board felt the new building would "transform GW and help us strengthen our reputation as a premier research institution in the nation's capital," Chairman W. Russell Ramsey, B.B.A. '81, said at the time. "It will be a powerful magnet for world-class faculty and students," he said. The building's eight stories above grade and six below (four of which would be for parking) would provide approximately 400,000 square feet of space above grade and yield 290,000 square feet for teaching and research laboratories for GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences, among other schools and departments, also would be involved in research there. A typical floor in the new complex would include research and teaching areas, as well as faculty offices and breakout spaces. The design of the building targets silver-level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Plans call for a variety of sustainable elements, including: dedicated parking spaces for recharging electric cars, a green roof, a cistern to collect storm water run-off for reuse, and strategically located sunshades on the exterior to reduce energy demands. There also are plans for a small park to be built between Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (JBKO) Hall and Munson Hall. The site, as well as the building project's basic parameters (such as height and size), were approved by the D.C. Zoning Commission as part of GW's 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan. Last month's building-specific filing will be the basis for public hearings and a final decision by the commission. The full filing to the commission is available on GW's Neighborhood website. Pending approval by the zoning commission, project construction is expected to begin in mid-2011 with a completion date anticipated in late-2014. Science and Engineering Complex Stats
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For Faculty, a Review of the Plans and a Chance for FeedbackIn November, project architects from Ballinger held the latest in a series of forums with faculty members and provided a floor-by-floor overview of the proposed layout for teaching and research labs, offices and other spaces. Afterward, faculty members were invited to use Post-it Notes to pepper the floor plans with suggested changes. "I like these forums because everything's sort of above-board," said physics professor Gerald Feldman, who was among the 15 or so faculty members in attendance. Doing research in Corcoran Hall (which was built in 1924) "is no picnic," he said. The forums have been a way to draw on the wisdom and experience of the faculty, he said, helping architects ensure the building will meet the needs of researchers over the next 50 years or more. One idea Dr. Feldman has tried to advance is to include elements that would attract a diverse swath of people--even something akin to a coffee shop--and would invite random mixing and, perhaps, unforeseen collaborations. Beyond that, building in opportunities for science outreach--perhaps exhibit space, a screen for films, areas for lectures--could help position GW as a science destination in D.C., he said, and maybe even pique the interest of non-science majors. "Who knows how many students get switched over to science because they think it's pretty neat?" 
Michael King and Brian G. Richmond, chairs of the chemistry and anthropology departments, respectively.
Temporary Parking Plan Anticipated Early Next YearGW officials are in the midst of developing a plan for handling the temporary loss of parking on campus that would result from construction of the Science and Engineering Complex, which would be built on the site of the University Parking Garage. The garage would remain in service at least through 2011 commencement. The university anticipates releasing a final plan early next year for campus parking. The university has begun offsetting the removal of the University Parking Garage's 1,252 spots by adding 178 parking spaces at South Hall, completed in fall 2009; and 362 spaces--or as many as 462 when including valet parking--that will open at Square 54, upon its completion in spring 2011. Planning and site work also has begun on an underground parking facility and Law Learning Center on the 2000 block of G Street, which will provide some 450 parking spaces when it opens in mid-2012. The new Science and Engineering Complex itself would provide up to 400 underground parking spaces. During the transition period, until those facilities are built, on-campus daily parking accommodations would be made for patients and visitors of the GW Hospital and area medical facilities, as well as 24-hour on-call medical staff with parking needs. The university also plans to offer temporary offsite parking for GW staff at a discounted rate at the Kennedy Center, with shuttle service offered to and from GW's Foggy Bottom Campus. |
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More information is available on the SEC website. |
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