RA-LIN and Associates Selected To Build New $26.5 Million Residence And Dining Complex At University of West Georgia
Online, March 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - RA-LIN and Associates, Inc. has been selected to provide construction management services for a multi-phased campus building project with a preliminary budget of $26.5 million known as the East Village Housing and Dining Complex at the University of West Georgia (UWG). The selection was made by The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on behalf of University of West Georgia.
The facilities will be built on a parcel of land at the highly visible east entrance to the UWG campus off West Georgia Drive and Maple Street in Carrollton. Two existing residence buildings, Downs Hall and Boykin Hall, will be razed as will the existing Art Annex building. These structures will be replaced with two new residence halls totaling 460-beds and a new state-of-the art 30, 000 square foot dining facility with seating for 320. Plans also call for construction of office space for university housing and residence life staff within the dining facility. In addition, Bowdon Hall, a 290-bed residence hall, will be renovated inside and out, to include ADA accessibility, updated bathrooms, wireless IT, and other improvements. Construction could begin as early as July 2012, with a final completion target of all projects by August 2013.
The residence halls that will be replaced or renovated were built between 1964 and 1977, and have had only minor upgrades such as paint, carpet, and roofs over the years. "These and other recent changes will provide us the opportunity to more effectively compete with peer institutions in Georgia and the Southeast, said James Sutherland, UWG's Vice President for Business and Finance. These new facilities will be an asset to the entire UWG community. The goal is to enhance the student experience on campus by providing attractive and modern on-campus accommodations and amenities that will attract new students in support of our institutional goal of becoming a destination university. The aim is to increase student satisfaction with residence life facilities at UWG in an effort to increase enrollment, and improve our retention, progression and graduation rates.
In addition to RA-LIN, the project team includes HADP as architect-of-record, Collins Cooper Carusi as associate architect, and Hal Gibson Companies as program manager.
"This project will incorporate sustainable design concepts throughout and produce a green building, level-2 certification of two "peaches" within the Georgia Peach program, which is a rating system for energy efficiency and sustainable construction standards for state buildings, stated Ben Garrett, president of RA-LIN. We see these new facilities as a new legacy building statement at the front door of the east side of campus and we think of it as a bookend for the UWG Athletic Complex that we completed on the west side of the campus in 2009.
Funds were not available to completely finish the interior of the Athletic Office Building at the campus sports complex in 2009. Coaching and athletic staff offices on the second floor were not built at the time, but now the university has decided that completion of this project will be added to the scope of work on the East Village Project. We have been asked to provide a guaranteed maximum price for this work as well, Garrett added. The opportunity to complete the Athletic Office Building at UWG is very gratifying to RA-LIN as it is a project that we often point to with pride."
RA-LIN and Associates, Inc. is a commercial construction firm that has helped shape the growth of the southeast with the construction of distinctive educational facilities, healthcare facilities, office buildings, hotels, country clubs, retail centers, and hospitality facilities for nearly forty years. The company offers a full range of preconstruction and construction services including general contracting, construction management, and design-build services. For more information contact Jay Grubbs at(404)535-0045 or Jay.Grubbs@ra-lin.com