Photo courtesy of Southwestern University
The chilled water loop gets an upgrade.
Southwestern University rests within a beautiful, leafy campus in Georgetown, Texas, approximately 30 mi. north of Austin.
The 183-year-old college, the oldest in the Lone Star State, is noted for its outstanding sciences, fine arts and music curricula, as well as its interdisciplinary and pre-professional programs. Its undergraduate enrollment is approximately 1,500 students.
To complement the natural beauty of the campus with the charm of its various buildings and facilities, Southwestern officials launched a $120 million campaign in 2022 to begin new construction and renovations at different points across its 700 acres.
The multi-year project got under way in September 2023 to build two new residence halls, a welcome center, a sports complex and a campus restaurant. Upgrades were also planned at a historic academic hall, the library and a learning commons hub.
Photo courtesy of Southwestern University
A key goal of the building effort is to help Southwestern remain competitive with other colleges and universities in attracting students looking for modern facilities, according to Dinah Ritchie, the college's vice president for integrated communications and chief marketing officer.
Each of the university's construction and renovation projects, she said, is designed to enrich the experience of all students, faculty and staff.
Ritchie described the various construction and renovation projects at Southwestern as part of a "strategic move" on the part of the college "to reinforce its commitment to delivering a premier liberal arts education in the 21st century."
"The administration recognized the necessity of these efforts to stay competitive and continue attracting top-tier students, faculty and staff," she added. "These investments are designed to enhance the campus environment, improve student outcomes and ensure the university remains a vibrant hub of learning and innovation for years to come."
Another of the reasons that influenced university officials to build the new residence halls was to provide more housing for their first-, second, and third-year students — buttressed by the belief that on-campus housing not only helps students perform better in the classroom but saves them from paying expensive rents off campus.
Iconic Mood-Bridwell Hall Getting Complete Makeover
The first onsite work at the school began in September 2023 at one of Southwestern's most iconic buildings, the historic Mood-Bridwell Hall, an academic facility constructed in 1908 to serve as a men's residence hall.
Crews from Linbeck Group, a Houston-based general contractor, are upgrading the three-story, 38,600-sq.-ft. structure to incorporate 21st-century technology with the building's rich history, a legacy that placed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Photo courtesy of Southwestern University
Steven Kitchen, Southwestern's interim associate vice president for facilities management, said the work at Mood-Bridwell includes a full renovation of the existing floorplan, which includes an annex, as well as new mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems and finishes.
"In the year since the upgrades began at Mood-Bridwell, we have seen the demolition of its existing MEP systems and interior finishes, including windows, drywall, ceilings, flooring, fixtures, etc.," he said.
"Once the demolition ended, framing work for the new floorplan layout began," Kitchen continued. "In addition, the MEP subcontractors have begun installing new systems throughout all levels of the building to include new electrical rooms and power distribution panels, mechanical systems and duct work, and plumbing for new restrooms on all levels."
Before Mood-Bridwell Hall is finished next spring, work is needed to install a new skylight over the atrium's multipurpose room, and the building's second-level terrace, designed to be a new outdoor space for students, faculty and staff, will be built. Additional plans call for a new student collaboration space and coffee bar, along with other finishes, ceilings, fixtures, painting, flooring and windows.
Due to its being listed on the historic registry, Kitchen added, "special precautions are required to preserve all exterior architectural features of the existing stone façade."
Construction started earlier this summer on building a new annex to Mood-Bridwell after heavy rain in May delayed the foundation work. By August, though, its structural steel was erected, and concrete pours were completed on the first and second levels of the addition.
"Originally, the existing annex was made up of a basement and first-floor level," he said. "The new annex space will consist of an upgraded basement and first-floor level, plus a new second-floor level, which increases the original square footage by approximately 1,300 square foot."
Among the key Texas subcontractors working for Linbeck Group at Mood-Bridwell Hall are:
- AAR Inc., a Houston environmental company.
- Curtis Hunt Restorations, based in Elmendorf, Texas.
- Berger Iron Works, a Houston steel fabricator.
- Fireproof Contractors, in Katy, Texas.
- Schulte Roofing, from Navasota.
- Five Star Drywall & Acoustical Systems, based in Kyle.
- Slater Controls, in Midland.
- FastTrack Construction, from Crockett.
- Graves Mechanical Inc., headquartered in Houston.
- Tumlinson Electric, from Round Rock.
Ritchie is excited about the benefits that students will receive from innovative classroom spaces in Mood-Bridwell Hall after it opens in 2025.
"The renovation of Mood-Bridwell will offer advanced facilities that not only support academic endeavors but also serve as hubs for community engagement and innovative teaching," she said.
Construction Moving Along
Most of the Southwestern University's campus is located north of University Avenue/Texas Highway 29, but its eastern side has several undeveloped tracts of land. School officials chose that area to build a completely new Welcome Center and a residence hall specifically for first-year students.
Approximately a quarter mile west of those two projects, within the central part of campus, the university is shepherding the construction of a second-year student dormitory, immediately south of the Martin Ruter Residence Hall. In fact, the new, 36,380-sq.-ft. sophomore dorm was designed to take the place of Ruter Hall.
Site work at all three locales began in July.
Rendering courtesy of Southwestern University
"Our new welcome center will consist of a theater, café, outdoor terrace, art gallery and bell tower," Kitchen said. "And the first-year dorm, totaling 45,060 square feet, will include new indoor fitness and yoga studios."
Southwestern's office of admission and financial aid is due to move into the 19,646-sq.-ft. Welcome Center.
"For students, the new mixed-use residence halls will provide an integrated living and learning environment that nurtures both academic excellence and personal well-being," Ritchie said. "These halls, equipped with classrooms, study areas, lounges and fitness facilities, are designed to foster a strong sense of community, which is vital for personal growth and academic success."
A demolition crew, led by Sierra Demolition in nearby Round Rock, Texas, razed a pair of structures — known as the Kyle E. White and McCook-Crain buildings — that sat on the site of the planned first-year residence hall and the adjacent Welcome Center, according to Kitchen.
"Those buildings were required to be demolished in coordination with the city of Georgetown Historical and Architectural Review Commission [HARC]," he said. "After Sierra brought them down, it took approximately one week to remove the buildings and clear the site for construction."
The cornerstones from each of the razed buildings were saved by the college and will be added to new historical displays in The Commons at Southwestern.
Linbeck Group is the prime contractor on the new Welcome Center and residence hall projects at Southwestern.
The construction's critical subcontractors include:
- C.W Oats Masonry, in Leander, Texas.
- Houston-based Jarco Steel Inc., a steel fabricator.
- Perry & Perry Builders, a Rockdale construction firm.
- Midwest Drywall Co., located in Dallas.
- Austin's Texas Star Fire Systems.
- TD Industries, a Dallas mechanical construction company.
- AVI Systems Inc., in Dallas.
- AVAdek Inc., a Webster, Texas construction firm.
When asked if any difficulties or challenges have arisen at any of the four buildings now being built or renovated at Southwestern University, Kitchen pointed to utility relocations, an oft-cited issue at many construction sites within cities.
Rendering courtesy of Southwestern University
"Re-routing existing utilities on an active campus continues to challenge these projects and requires careful coordination efforts between the contractor and the university in order to mitigate the impact that construction activities will have across the campus," he said.
July also saw the implementation of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) at the first-year dorm and the Welcome Center site. In addition, underground building information modeling (BIM) began for each structure.
In August, excavation began at the Welcome Center in preparation for its concrete foundations. Utility excavation also commenced on that site and at the residence hall work zones.
Crews, Equipment to Work Through School Year
As might be imagined, the Southwestern campus has been a busy hive of activity this summer with dozens of construction personnel working on each of the four major projects. No slowdown is expected now that students have returned for the fall semester, but the college does not anticipate the work to impact classes.
Rendering courtesy of Southwestern University
Although the number of people building the project is not expected to peak until around next July, according to Kitchen, the site has seen an influx of equipment onto the campus over the last several months.
Included among the machines he has spotted working to build, renovate and reshape Southwestern's campus are a Komatsu 210LC-11 mid-size excavator, a Volvo L15H wheel loader, a Hamm H10i roller, a John Deere 317G compact track loader and a JCB rough-terrain telehandler.
He added that none of the planned work at the university includes road construction, and he was not aware of any environmental issues that needed to be addressed as part of the building effort.
Other University Projects Just Getting Started
Several additional projects funded through Southwestern's capital campaign have either been completed, are ongoing, or are planned over the next couple of years at the university:
- Repairs and enhancements have been made this year to the college's Smith Library Center, just east of Mood-Bridwell Hall.
- Within the library, contractors recently completed the Professor John Score Learning Commons, created as a hub for academic support and collaboration for students and faculty.
- Work commenced earlier this summer on a new on-campus eatery called The Perch, due to be opened for business by mid-year 2025.
- The first phase of the university's chilled water loop and chilled water plant project is finished. Crews repaired and replaced the old pipes in the initial work before beginning enhancements to the water plant itself in Phase 2 to increase the reliability and consistency of cooling within Southwestern's buildings.
- A new multipurpose sports complex is in the preliminary stages of construction. It will be built to accommodate all Southwestern men's and women's sports and include a new football stadium on the site of the current football practice field east of campus. University officials, however, have not yet determined a completion date for the new athletics facilities.
"Ultimately, each of these projects are far more than mere physical upgrades," Ritchie said in summing up the college's capital building campaign. "They are strategic investments in the future of Southwestern, strengthening the university's capacity to educate, inspire, and unite every member of our community." CEG
Eric Olson
A writer and contributing editor for CEG since 2008, Eric Olson has worked in the business for more than 40 years.
Olson grew up in the small town of Lenoir, NC in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he began covering sports for the local newspaper at age 18. He continued to do that for several other dailies in the area while in college at Appalachian State University. Following his graduation, he moved on to gain experience at two other publications before becoming a real estate and special features writer and editor at the Winston-Salem Journal for 10 years. Since 1999 he has worked as a corporate media liaison and freelance writer, in addition to his time at CEG.
He and his wife, Tara, have been married for 33 years and are the parents of two grown and successful daughters. His hobbies include collecting history books, watching his beloved Green Bay Packers and caring for his three dogs and one cat.
Read more from Eric Olson here.
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