State of the Union

[The Sheriff]

tell me more about drunk felines smazza...

[MatRatUSF]

The arcitects are going to be on campus monday and i will be at one of their meetings so i will let everyone know what's goin on. They said they pretty much know what needs to be in it, now they are looking for more of a design and atmosphere concepts. The SEC is also coming down in january. If you have any Special Events Center memories, now is the time to revisit them!

[lotsofbull99]

I did my orientation in the SEC, my first time at USF oh what a day.  Other then that I only went their once to an Indian cultural festival on the Republic of India's independence day.

[Papa_Bull]

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

A new marshall in town

Designs for the new student union were discussed by campus organizations.

By Ryan Blackburn

Staff Writer

April 13, 2005

Preliminary design features for the new Phyllis P. Marshall Center were unveiled Monday and Tuesday, allowing various student organizations a chance to participate in planning discussions.

"The Bull is finally out the chute," Director of the Marshall Center Guy Conway said in front of 25 student representatives. "We're finally getting started with the design and the construction of the project."

According to Conway, the Marshall Center and Special Events Center total approximately 161,000 square feet. This is about half the average recommended space for student unions, he said.

The new project, expected to be completed in March of 2008, should extend to 300,000 square feet, he said.

Construction of the new Marshall Center will consist of two phases.

"We're going to take down the Special Events Center," Conway said. "And the first phase will be to construct a new building on that site."

According to Joe Synovec, business manager for SG, deconstruction of the SEC will begin in January.

During the remaining stage of Phase I will the old Marshall Center move into the newly constructed building. The new building will contain a new ballroom four times the size of the original, space for student organizations, a new food court with seating three times as large and twice as many food options as the present eatery, some planned meeting and lounge areas and a new sports grill, Conway said.

After moving into the new building, Phase II will begin and construction will commence on the site of the present Marshall Center.

"Phase II includes the new student activities theater, a restaurant (similar to Top of the Palms), a cyber café, more retail spaces and additional meeting and lounge space," Conway said.

Students from WBUL, Safe Team, Student Resources, Student Government, Computer Services and Greek Life expressed their individual departmental concerns to members of Facilities Planning and Construction, architects and Marshall Center Administration.

Requests for more space and an increase in visibility were the primary concerns that each organization presented.

Under the current plan, the amount of allocated space for these organizations should increase by 70 percent, Conway said.

But who gets how much and where they will be located won't be determined overnight.

According to WBUL representatives, their needs rested with the proximity of the antenna to the new studio, and a desire to be more visible to the student body.

Members of Safe Team also called for a new environment, branching away from their present "creepy basement setting" in an effort to make their office look more accommodating to students.

Anticipating the high traffic of students, a 50 percent expansion in the size of a new SG computer lab is also being considered.

During the presentation, the group also discussed the overall aesthetics of the planned structure.

"When you come in (to USF) off of Fletcher, you're greeted with the brick wall of the SEC," Synovec said. "This new building will create that 'wow factor,' that first impression for visitors and students when they come onto campus."

In order to create this new look, Gould Evans and Sasaki architecture firms have joined forces.

"Their buildings are open, airy signature buildings," Synovec said. "They are places students like to go and hang out, and they're comfortable.

This isn't the first time these firms have contributed to USF's landscape.

Gould Evans is responsible for the completion of the College of Business expansion/renovation and many of the new housing buildings on campus, Synovec said.

Even more familiar with the campus are the designers of the MLK Plaza. According to Synovec, Sasaki and Associates have worked on a master campus plan for the past several years.

"They have recently built a great meditation center at the University of North Carolina," Synovec said. "Which looks like the kind that we're going to model ours after."  

http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/13/425d1b0a26b1f

[ZeroBullChip]

I'll say this, I had the opportunity to see the new business building over the weekend and it is an eyecatcher.  Never thought I'd say this about anything on our campus.  The inside of that building is first class.  So if that is the standard, I'm sure we are in for a treat.

[Papa_Bull]

Student Union Building At USF To Get Makeover

By GARY HABER ghaber@tampatrib.com

Published: Apr 18, 2005

TAMPA - By 2008, students at the University of South Florida won't recognize the Phyllis P. Marshall Center.

The student union, the hub of campus life at USF for more than four decades, is set for an extreme makeover that will allow USF to offer more of the amenities students want, school officials say.

The building is named for Marshall, the student center's former longtime program director, who died Feb. 5. She will be remembered at a Celebration of Life service at 11 a.m. today in the Special Events Center at USF.

The first phase of the $55.1 million renovation involves razing the adjacent 55,000- square-foot Special Events Center, a 2,500-seat auditorium school officials say is far too big for most events there.

It will be replaced by a new student union with an expanded food court, sports grill and offices for student organizations. Demolition is slated to begin in January.

Once the union is completed, the existing 106,000- square-foot Marshall Center will be renovated to add a 600- seat theater, an Internet coffee house and retail space. Completion is scheduled for 2008.

``It's something students have wanted for a long time,'' said Bijal Chhadva, student body president.''

Students are funding a portion of the construction cost through a $1.50 per credit fee and a $20 per semester fee levied since 2003 that adds about $38 a semester to the typical student's bill. USF officials plan to issue bonds to pay for the rest of the project.

A renovated Marshall Center is part of a trend for colleges to attract students with facilities that look less institutional and more like high-end shopping malls or fancy hotels, with natural lighting, soaring atriums and plush furniture.

The Marshall Center, opened in 1960 when USF had about 2,000 students, is outdated for its student body of more than 42,000, about 36,000 of which attend classes on the Tampa campus.

``It's clearly showing its age,'' said Carl Carlucci, USF's executive vice president. ``It doesn't offer the kind of things students want.''

About 25 USF students met last week with representatives of Sasaki Associates, of Watertown, Mass., and Gould Evans Associates, of Tampa, the architecture firms that will design the project.

Students said they wanted more food choices, including a student-run cafe offering healthy foods and a sports bar. They also said they want the building to be energy-efficient.

Joanna Batten, a USF freshman, said the Marshall Center isn't as modern as the student union at the University of Central Florida, from where she transferred.

Batten doesn't think students will object to paying a fee for a facility that may not open until after some of them graduate.

``That's not a problem because it will be nice for the students who want to come here,'' she said.

Each architecture firm has worked on projects at USF. Sasaki's projects include student unions at the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, while Gould Evans has designed buildings at the University of Florida and Arizona State University.

Reporter Gary Haber can be reached at (813) 259-8285.

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBPQQ8YN7E.html

Links to architects web pages:

http://www.gouldevans.com/

http://www.sasaki.com/

[sdgukhsdgl]

"A renovated Marshall Center is part of a trend for colleges to attract students with facilities that look less institutional and more like high-end shopping malls or fancy hotels, with natural lighting, soaring atriums and plush furniture. "

that's a dead on description of the new business building with marble(ish) floors, modern furniture and a three story window "lobby" area

the classrooms are very nice/modern as well