Bookstore plans denied

Construction for the Campus Services and Bookstore building is on hold after the UT System Board of Regents denied UTD's proposal Nov. 11, citing design complaints and one possible architectural flaw.

The building was designed by architectural firm PageSoutherlandPage, creator of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory and was named 'best firm in the state' by the Texas Society of Architects in 2009, said Associate Vice President for Business Affairs Richard Dempsey.

During the Board of Regents meeting in Austin, Texas, Regent James Huffines said he had serious concerns about the design, specifically the color scheme, which he called "out of context with what's on campus now."

The Campus Services and Bookstore building proposal depicts the building with a border across the top, formed with an assortment of green, orange, white, gray and black panels. One side wall is entirely adorned with the panels, which are intended to reflect the digital nature of UTD's many technology projects.

"The building departs from the more conservative buildings around it providing a warm and colorful welcome to prospective students and their families," said executive director of program management David Dixon.

Regent William Eugene Powell disagreed.

"I think the design, although probably award-winning in some circles, is highly inappropriate for that campus. Not only the colors but the design, the sail - all of that. I find it a little garish, frankly. And I think it may be dated the day it goes up," he said.

Regent James Dannenbaum's focus was on the 50 foot glass sail. The proposal lacked sufficient documentation regarding impact and tornado wind resistance, to insure shards of glass would not fall on students, Dannenbaum said.

After Regents spoke, UTD President David Daniel said he considered the issues raised by the board sufficient reason to reconsider the design.

"I have tremendous respect for this board, and if members of the board have some concerns about the building, I consider that a very significant concern," Daniel said. "I would much rather delay three, four months and get it right."

The regents moved that UTD reconsider the design and colors and then bring the proposal back in a future meeting. The board's next meeting is February 2010.

Dixon said that the new bookstore is part of a daisy chain of projects coming up. A new Arts & Technology building is slated to begin construction on the site of the current bookstore, which could be problematic if the bookstore is unable to relocate.

"It is certainly a set-back," Dempsey said. "We had been led to believe that it was going to go through."

Dempsey said he will try to get the proposal back in front of the Board of Regents as soon as possible.

3 comments

Your name

Mon Jan 18 2010 22:23

Count me three. The design criticisms are ridiculous---it's not like it's a Gothic cathedral in the middle of campus. (And if it were, honestly, that would be awesome.) If the colors are garish, change the school colors, don't knock the building for using them. Calling a structure "dated" is an odd criticism---one does not visit the Hagia Sofia and scoff that it is "sooo 6th century." I like it: it shares a lot with the rest of campus, but also says, "Hey, look at me, I've got a sail!" Which is nice, because it's also the place the people who are least familiar with campus are probably trying to go. I thought the point of building it was so that people *don't* have to look around in a basement to find the financial aid office.

That being said, if there are legitimate safety concerns, they should be investigated.

I am wondering if any of this is some sort of ploy to delay construction for some nefarious purpose.

Per

Sat Jan 16 2010 19:15

I agree with what JJS said. In addition, the color scheme shouldn't be that controversial considering none of the buildings match as is....You've got a purple and blue engineering building, a blue-paned math/science building, the light blue windows of the CS building, and the orange/green panes of the dining hall. If they're going to mark that as an issue, they might as well conform the color scheme of all the buildings. As far as the architecture style, I think it's quite appealing and just adds to the diversity of the campus. It's nice that we have our engineering building stand out from the others, but it would be even better if we had more buildings that had their own statement and set themselves apart from the others. Not to mention it would be easier to give people directions around the campus (i.e. "Just look for the red and yellow building that looks like a sail). :D

JJS

Wed Jan 13 2010 13:52

It's depressing to see the Board of Regents not willing to move the campus design forward - status quo is not where we need to go - this could be a stepping stone for future movement in the overall architecture and look of the campus. Let's not stay stuck in the past but look for a catalyst to move forward. While the safety concerns are reasonable, it is certainly disappointing that the primary concern seemed to be the modern context of the design. Have the regents forgotten that part of the work of UTD is to be a leader in technology - how do you do that when you're not willing to look to the future in the architecture of the campus???

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