New Buildings Ready for Fall as Other Projects Still Taking Shape

The campus community will be greeted by new facilities and amenities this fall.

“The addition of Residence Hall West, Recreation Center West, Dining Hall West and Parking Structure 3 is truly a game changer in terms of activity in the north part of campus,” said Dr. Calvin Jamison, vice president for administration. “We will have nearly 5,000 students living on campus this year, and these new facilities will offer more convenience not only for residents, but for commuters and employees, as well.”

Residence Hall West will be home to 600 freshmen participating in Living Learning Communities. The building features classroom, collaboration and study spaces, on-site laundry and kitchen facilities, and an outdoor volleyball court, arbor and lounge area.

Recreation Center West — adjacent to Residence Hall West and Dining Hall West — will keep the same hours as the Activity Center on the south side of campus, and will be open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Those with memberships will have access to both Recreation Center West and the Activity Center, and enrolled students simply need their Comet Cards to access either facility. Guest passes will only be available for purchase at the Activity Center, but the pass can be used at either facility. The 25,000-square-foot recreation center has two courts for basketball, badminton and volleyball, a cardio and weight area with new equipment, and a group exercise room. The men's and women's locker rooms have day-use lockers and two showers each.

Dining Hall West is open daily to all students, faculty and staff for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The new dining hall building also houses a full-size Papa John’s Pizza and a convenience store, which offer grab-and-go options, healthy snacks, frozen foods and toiletries. Both retail stores are open until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The growing Naveen Jindal School of Management will open a 110,000-square-foot addition on the first day of school. The new building has more classroom and office space, trading and sales labs, student collaboration and study space, and an expanded Career Management Center. A bridge that connects the two buildings and a first-floor Jason’s Deli are expected to open in midfall.

The former Arts and Technology Building has been renovated and renamed as the Physics Building, and is now home to the Physics Department. Synergy Park North now houses UTDesign, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the Office of Audit and Compliance, and the Office of Human Resources training team. University Web Services also will move to Synergy Park North this fall.

Additionally, two Modular Laboratories are now between Lots H and I to provide a total of 18,000 square feet of additional space for mechanical engineering and bioengineering classes.

Construction Updates

Construction is underway on the new Bioengineering and Sciences Building, which will connect to the Natural Science and Engineering Research Lab and add 220,000 square feet of research and teaching space to campus. It is expected to open by fall 2015.

Crews are also mobilizing to complete construction of the North Mall Enhancement Project, which was made possible by a private gift to the University. Landscape architect Peter Walker and McCarthy Building Companies Inc. will work to finish the redesign and construction within the next year to bring a more park-like environment to the north mall that will complement the 2010 transformation of the south end of campus.

During construction, the outdoor area north from the Trellis to the Administration Building will remain closed, and pedestrians will be redirected to the skybridges and the perimeter entrances of the affected buildings, including the Administration Building, Erik Jonsson Academic Center, University Theatre, Founders North Building, Founders Building, Cecil and Ida Green Center, and Cecil H. Green Hall. Students, faculty, staff and campus visitors should expect higher noise levels, increased construction traffic and altered access points to affected buildings and areas of campus.

Campus community members and visitors are encouraged to allow additional travel time to reach their destinations. Drivers may experience some delays as large trucks move in and out of campus, and road flaggers will be on hand to direct traffic around construction areas, as necessary.

Long term, the University is continuing with its master plan and path to becoming a Tier One institution. There are several facilities in various stages of planning, such as expansions to Callier Center for Communication Disorders’ Richardson campus and the Student Services Building. There are plans for building the Center for BrainHealth’s Brain Performance Institute and an Alumni Center.

The University is also moving forward with planning for Northside at UT Dallas, which is projected to break ground in early 2015 with completion in 2016. North of campus off Synergy Park Boulevard, it will feature a mix of apartments and campus-oriented and mainstream retail services to attract students, faculty, staff, visitors and the surrounding community.