Executive Summary

The existing Chemistry- Physics building, constructed in 1963, is one of the largest and most heavily utilized buildings (2nd highest usage) on the UK campus. The facility serves all undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky, wherein they fulfill their basic science (both classrooms and laboratory) requirements. Both undergraduate and graduate students alike, spend considerable hours in the facility learning the areas of biology, chemistry and physics and conducting research. The building is dark with very limited outside day lighting, providing a less than optimal environment for student learning and research and faculty and staff efforts. The classrooms are traditional, consisting of either large, fixed seat lecture halls or small, rooms without modern instructional technology. The arrangement is not conducive to modern science teaching methods and greatly hinders the use of collaborative learning methods that are contemporary in science instruction. Furthermore, the building infrastructure has exceeded its useful life and presents significant challenges in maintaining a functional educational and research environment.

New science facilities, housing similar programs, have been constructed across Kentucky and the nation making for a challenging competitive landscape. The existing facility has become one of our greatest challenges for recruiting and retaining the best and brightest students and faculty.

Project at a Glance

• Premier interdisciplinary undergraduate science teaching labs and classrooms.
• Student oriented, open environment that encourages interaction and collaboration beyond the classroom.
• Cutting edge learning environments to carry out contemporary science teaching methods and collaborative student learning.
• Student commons space, group and individual study rooms and other amenities.
• This new building will house most of the introductory science laboratory courses allowing students to learn the commonalities of multiple science disciplines in an interdisciplinary fashion and begin modeling "team problem-solving".
• Modern Research Laboratories
• Shelled floor space

Impact:
All undergraduate students

Gross SF:
263,000 GSF
(includes shell space)

Approx. Start Date:
2013

Est. Completion Date:
December 2015

Debt Service Source (existing) :
UK Athletics will annually fund the interest expense and principal payments on $65 million of the $100 million of agency bonds. The remaining debt will be financed with an already achieved internal reallocation of dollars. Private funds also are being solicited as well for this project.

Est. Construction Jobs Created:
117 FTEs for 20 months

Est. Average Construction Salary:
$35.00/Hr.