UNLV Expands to Keep Pace with Valley Growth

by Tony Illia

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has expanded greatly since it was founded in 1957 in a classroom at Las Vegas High School as part of an extension program to the University of Nevada in Reno.

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Growth at the school, which gained its independence in 1965, has been fueled by the Las Vegas Valley's population boom over the last three decades. The region has added 401,940 people since 2000 alone.

Southern Nevada is now anticipated to reach 2.75 million residents by 2024, which is 36.3 percent more than its current population, said Jeff Hardcastle, the state demographer.

The university, as a result, has more than doubled its enrollment during the last decade to 28,095 students in 2005, placing it in the nation's top 45 public doctoral universities for overall enrollment. With more than 2,800 faculty and staff, UNLV today offers over 200 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees.

The university now encompasses 337 acres and 73 buildings and structures, with its main campus located along Maryland Parkway between Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas. The school is working to keep pace with growth by undertaking an ambitious construction program that entails nearly $200 million worth of new projects from 2006-07.

Students are underwriting two of the five new campus buildings expected to debut over the next 18 months, including the Recreation Center and Student Union. In 2004, a $61-per-semester fee went into effect for students taking more than three credits. The fee structure will eventually peak at $173 per semester this fall.

The monies will finance construction as well as the operations and upkeep of both buildings.

"The existing Student Union building is close to 40 years old," said Blake Douglas, special assistant to the vice president for UNLV Student Life. "The students came to us six years ago to request a new Student Union and Recreation Center. So we worked with them to put together a referendum for increased student fees to pay for the projects."

Student Union

The three-story, 95,000-sq.-ft. Student Union is a welcome campus addition. The new $37.6 million steel-framed structure will open Aug. 8.

The old building was constructed when the school only had 5,000 students, or about 20 percent of its current enrollment. That two-story, 50,000-sq.-ft. building will be demolished during phase two construction, which starts in October.

PENTA Building Group, Las Vegas, is the general contractor for both phases.

The first phase contains roughly 32,000 sq. ft. of offices for student life, administration and student government as well as the headquarters for Rebel Yell, the university newspaper. Rebel Card, the school's debit card system, is additionally located on the third floor.

Floor two contains meeting rooms, a 4,500-sq.-ft. conference room, four student lounges and 30-space computer laboratory with a support desk. The ground level is divided into a dining area food court, 300-seat theater/lecture room and retail space including a Starbucks and Jamba Juice. The remaining space is for catering and food preparation. >>

"This is a significant achievement for UNLV students," said Rebecca Mills, vice president for student life. "The students have actively participated in the entire planning process and provided important feedback by evaluating what amenities are most important to them."

Designed by Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects of Henderson with Ellerbe Beckett Co. of Minneapolis, the new 45-ft.-tall Student Union extends east toward Maryland Parkway to create a greater street presence.

"The building has a unique appearance with glass curtain wall, sandstone and zinc paneling," said Steve Ranck, project architect with Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects.

"There is also a composite wood resin silver paneling that resembles aluminum but is cheaper and can be cut and shaped in the field."

Phase two will be a 40,000-sq.-ft. building that connects to the new structure to form a boomerang. The two-story steel-framed building will house 10,000 sq. ft. of ballroom space on the upper level, with prefunction and storage areas.

The first level will have an information desk, retail spaces, game room and convenience store. It's scheduled to finish by June.

The two buildings connect to form a 40,000-sq.-ft. outdoor plaza with benches, tables and chairs for studying, socializing, eating and relaxing. It will be covered by a 45-ft.-tall cable-tensioned canopy structure with a colored and stamped decorative concrete apron. The plaza opens onto a grass amphitheater for concerts and student events.

Student Recreation Center

Students can also look forward to the new $54 million Recreation Center taking shape at the southwest end of the campus, near the Cox Pavilion. Phoenix-based Kitchell Contractors is building the 184,000-sq.-ft. facility. Designed by DMJM of Phoenix with St. Louis-based Hastings+Chivetta Architects Inc., the four-story steel-framed building will have a 5,000-sq.-ft., full-service fitness area; two pools; a spa; and a 1,700-sq.-ft. bistro/juice bar.

Additional amenities include two racquetball courts, two multipurpose courts, four basketball courts, indoor jogging track and 12,500-sq.-ft. free-weight area. There will also be aerobic bicycles and Stairmasters with a TV wall, plus yoga, Pilates and "spin" rooms.

The "Wellness Zone," a joint venture between Recreational Services, the Student Health Center and Psychological Services, will be housed at the center as well, providing a comprehensive approach to physical, mental and emotional wellness.

"The project has a lot of specialized construction to service multiple uses within a single enclosed environment," said Steve Shaw, Kitchell's project manager. "There are also many architectural unique details with different components." The 70-ft.-tall, steel-framed building has an elaborate skin system of masonry block, glass, precast concrete and metal panels. Its unique architecture creates a dynamic look with sloped walls and a swooping roof.

Bennett & Jimenez Inc. of Las Vegas is the structural engineer.

"There is a curvilinear glass façade along the south side for the natatorium as a soft gesture toward the flow of water that brings in as much natural light as possible," said Steve Lichtenberger, DMJM vice president. "The rolled roofline is a gesture toward the Lied Library and other new campus buildings, and it also softens the mass of the building."

The Recreation Center has 10-ft. cantilevered overhangs, 30,000 sq. ft. of aluminum-framed glass curtain wall and 100-ft. clear spans entailing bowtie roof trusses and detailed steel work.

Construction will require 1,300 tons of structural steel. Metal-Weld Inc. of Phoenix provided the steel fabrication.

Perforated and etched glass that work as internal sunscreens are also used.

The five-acre complex is scheduled to open by June.

Science, Engineering, and Technology Center

Meanwhile, at the other end of campus, the long-awaited Science, Engineering, and Technology Center is rising at the southwest corner of Maryland Parkway and Cottage Grove Avenue, north of the Thomas Beam Engineering Building. The $78 million, 197,000-sq.-ft. facility is being built by Sletten Construction of Nevada, Inc., Las Vegas, and should be open in early 2008.

The state-backed project calls for a four-story, steel-framed structure with a glass-and-stucco exterior. It's accented by precast concrete and metal paneling as well as sandstone.

Dittmier Steel of Reno is supplying and erecting the structural steel.

The building contains some other unique features.

"It's built on geo-grid mat foundation with alternating layers of a geo-grid and 8-in. Type II aggregate," said Neal Darlington, Sletten's senior project manager. "Essentially, it's floating on an earth foundation that enables the building to not use drilled piles."

Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini Architects of Las Vegas, the 90-ft.-tall T-shaped building will contain four classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium and various faculty and staff offices. It will contain laboratories for nanotech, civil engineering, soils, structural engineering and environmental technologies.

Visitors will enter through a northeast grand plaza into a double-height, 2,000-sq.-ft. sloped and curving glass lobby area and café. >>

"It will serve as the center's architectural and social axis, creating an informal gathering area for studying, relaxing and socializing," said Tobias Flatow, project manager with Dekker/Perich/Sabatini. "The plaza is also marked by a freestanding copper sunshade device, which serves as the building's focal point."

The center is seeking LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Points are awarded in six categories from energy and atmosphere to water efficiency and indoor air quality.

The project uses a reverse osmosis water system for the laboratories and restrooms as well as a once-through air system and a heat-recovery wheel, which are designed to reduce energy consumption.

Las Vegas-based Quality Mechanical is the HVAC contractor, and GSL Electrical of Salt Lake City is doing the electrical work.

The building also incorporates recycled materials, drought-tolerant native plants and natural light. Skylights with light shelves help reduce electrical bills. The plaza additionally serves as a natural resource demonstration area using rainwater for natural irrigation.

The project broke ground in August 2005. Sletten is self-performing the concrete and earthwork as well as miscellaneous items.

"This is an environmentally friendly and ultra-energy-efficient building," Darlington said. "University officials wanted a LEED building that would inspire students and researchers."

Key Players - Student Recreation Center
Architect:	DMJM; Hastings+Chivetta Architects Inc.
General Contractor:	Kitchell Contractors

Key Players - Science, Eng. and Tech. Center
Architect:	Dekker/Perich/Sabatini Architects
General Contractor:	Sletten Construction of Nevada, Inc

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