West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va., is currently in the middle of spending more than $250 million on construction for campus academic buildings.
West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va., is currently in the middle of spending more than $250 million on construction for campus academic buildings. The first new building, the Health and Education Building, opened on July 1, 2014.
“It’s our first brand new building; others that have been completed have been additions,” said Rob Moyer, director of facilities planning and scheduling at WVU. “This is the first one.”
Other projects in the progression are as follows.
Advanced Engineering Research Building
Plans are for WVU to move the mechanical/aerospace engineering department into this building. Work began in January 2013 and is scheduled for completion in March 2015. The contractor is Massaro Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the architect is Burt Hill/Stantec.
The new building will include offices, classrooms, computer classrooms, a learning center, and graduate student space. It will include a total of four stories and 95,000 gross sq. ft. (8,826 sq m).
Total cost $43.6 million.
Agricultural Sciences Building
A new Agricultural Sciences Building is being constructed to the east of the existing building. Work began in June 2013 and is scheduled for completion in February 2016. The contractor is P.J. Dick of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the architect is HOK.
The building will house the Agricultural Sciences program. The new building will be 128,000 sq. ft. (11,892 sq m), with an unfinished space for future completion of 8,000 sq. ft. (743 sq m). It will be a five-story building with 207,000 gross sq. ft. (19,231 sq m).
The new building will have 73,000 sq. ft. (6,782 sq m) of offices and classrooms and 55,000 sq. ft. (5,110 sq m) of laboratory and research space. The project scope also includes the abatement and demolition of the existing Agricultural Sciences building once the construction is completed and the old building is vacant.
The South Agricultural Science Building facade also will be renovated to match the exterior facade of the new Agricultural Sciences Building, and a new addition with 7,000 sq. ft. (650 sq m) of shell space will be constructed once the existing Agricultural Science Building is demolished.
Budget: $104.9 million.
Art Museum
Work on the Art Museum began in August 2013 and was scheduled for completion in October 2014. The contractor is March Westin Company Inc., of Morgantown, and the architect is Stanley Beauman Sears.
The new museum will contain approximately 5,300 sq. ft. (492 sq m) of exhibition and gallery spaces on two levels, a large climate controlled art storage facility, a classroom with full audio/visual capabilities, a collection research room, and support facilities. It will be approximately 26,500 gross sq. ft. (2,462 sq m). The outdoor area will feature a sculpture garden and plaza.
Cost: $11.3 million.
Baseball Stadium Complex
Construction of a new Baseball Stadium Complex began in the spring of 2014, with completion set for the spring of 2015. The design/build team is Mascara/DLA+, Pittsburgh, Pa.
The complex is being built on a parcel located at the University Towne Center. It will include a lighted turf field, 2,500 fixed seats with a capacity of 3,500 total, locker rooms for home and away, a training area for pre/post-game treatment/taping, and bullpens for each.
In addition, fan amenities will include box, reserved, and general admission seating, as well as berm seating, a picnic area, concessions, and restrooms. The stadium will include press and broadcast areas for written, radio, and video broadcasts. Onsite parking will include handicapped parking spaces and bus parking for teams. Spectator parking will be available on site, as well as shared parking at adjacent sites.
Cost: $23.4 million.
Evansdale Crossing
Evansdale Crossing is a public private partnership endeavor, and will create a new student-centered space. Work began in April 2014 and is scheduled for completion in November 2015. The contractor is March Westin Company Inc. of Morgantown, and the architect is Strada.
The building will include study spaces, four classrooms, food services, a Barnes & Noble store, student services spaces, and other student and faculty amenities. The building will be approximately 100,668 gross sq. ft. (9,352 sq m). It is designed to join the upper and lower parts of the Evansdale Campus by providing elevators, indoor stairs, and a connecting bridge to the Engineering PRT Station.
Cost: $31 million.
Law Center Renovation
The Law Center Renovation project began in the spring/summer of 2014 and is scheduled for completion between May 2015 and October 2016. The contractor is Landau Building Company of Wexford, Pa., and the architect is Strada.
The renovation project of the existing facility will include 113,000 gross sq. ft. (10,498 sq m) and will be in the main building, which houses staff offices and a law library. The building includes a grand entrance colonnade. The entry connects to and extends the lobby, with entrances into key spaces placed along the esplanade.
A state-of-the-art classroom wing stretches along the east side of the building with views of the stadium. Other features are a large roof garden and a grand stair connecting the second and first floors, with views of the woods. A ramp and stair encompass a circular floor opening to create a Rotunda directly above the main building entrance. A total of 24 offices are included, and new clinic space doubles the size of the facility. A separate entrance placed on the north end of the space provides easy access to dedicated parking.
Cost: $14.6 million.
Milan Puskar
Stadium Concourse
The project began in summer 2014 and will be complete in summer 2016. The design team is reportedly yet to be determined. Plans are to renovate the stadium to improve the patron game day environment and generate new revenue. Because of insufficient fixture numbers and deteriorating structure due to poor soil conditions, the existing toilets and concessions will be replaced. The concourse will be widened and new entry gates added at all four corners to improve patron entry time, flow and exiting capacity, as well as ADA access. The existing box seats will be renovated to improve fan experience and add revenue.
Total cost: $45 million.
Milan Puskar
Team Auditorium
This project was set to start in summer 2014, with completion in winter 2014 or early 2015. It involves the construction of a 4,500 gross sq. ft. (418 sq m), 150-seat, tiered meeting room adjacent to the west side of the coach’s offices. The design includes a new player’s entrance and entry lobby area with A/V displays for player and event scheduling, recruiting video and general student athlete information.
Estimated cost: $6.2 million.
University Park
University Park will include approximately 1,310 beds, as well as WVU and other food services, along with retail development that will benefit both WVU students and the surrounding neighborhood. This complex will replace current housing located nearby at Fieldcrest Hall and the Medical Center Apartments, both of which will be demolished, and Pierpont Apartments, where the lease will not be renewed.
Work began in spring 2014 and is set for completion in August 2015. The contractor is March Westin Company Inc. of Morgantown, and the architect is Paradigm Arch.
Estimated Cost: $100 million.
University Place
This project began in March 2013, and the completion date is still to be determined. It is a public private partnership project. The contractor is Turner Construction of Pittsburgh, and the architect is Grimm and Parker.
West Virginia University entered into a long-term lease and development agreement with a private firm, Paradigm Development Group LLC, to develop a $70 million mixed use residential and retail complex in the heart of Morgantown’s Sunnyside district.
University Place, as it will be known, will be a vertical complex (two multi-story buildings) on three acres (1.2 ha), and will sit within the boundaries of University Avenue, Grant Avenue, Third Street and Houston Drive. It also will include an additional two acres (.8 ha) across the street for parking for residents and retail customers.
Estimated cost: $70 million.
Completed Projects
WVU projects recently completed include the Health Education Building — Physical Activity & Sport Sciences, for a total of $17.5 million; the Health Education Building — WVU Healthcare Clinics & Pharmacy, Student Health Center, for a total of $16.44 million; the Evansdale Library Renovation, for a total of $3.75 million; the NRCCE Renovation, for a total of $4.7 million; and the College Park Redevelopment, for a total of $ 43.8 million.
About WVU
WVU is a public, land-grant institution founded in 1867 in Morgantown, W.Va.
A total of 15 colleges and schools offer 191 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs in agriculture, natural resources, and design; arts and sciences; business and economics; creative arts; dentistry; education and human services; engineering and mineral resources; journalism; law; medicine; nursing; pharmacy; physical activity and sport sciences; and public health. Hundreds of distance education and online classes also are available.
Brenda Ruggiero
Brenda Ruggiero has written for CEG for over 20 years. She lives near the town of Accident in far western Maryland. Her favorite assignments so far involved interviews with Survivor’s Boston Rob and hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut. Both were involved in construction at one time.
Brenda holds a BA in Mass Communication with a writing focus from Frostburg State University and minors in Public Relations and Political Science. She works full time as a staff writer for a weekly newspaper, the Garrett County Republican. She enjoys feature writing the most, which gives her the opportunity to talk to people and share their stories.
Brenda and her middle school sweetheart, Reuben, have been married for over 34 years and have three grown children and four cats.
Read more from Brenda Ruggiero here.
Today's top stories
