The new biology and chemistry academic building at the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will be designed by Potter Lawson, Inc.,
a firm based in Madison.
The firm was selected by an
interview committee composed of representatives of UW-Stevens Point, UW-System
and the State Division of Facilities Development. Wisconsin Department of
Administration secretary Mike Huebsch confirmed the committee’s recommendations
yesterday. The next step is the scheduling of a kickoff meeting between the
designers and state and campus representatives. A contract proposal from the
firm will then be negotiated prior to the design work.
“This announcement is great
news for the campus and central Wisconsin,” said UW-Stevens Point Chancellor
Bernie Patterson. “It marks another major milestone in the process to develop
this very important facility for the students and state citizens.”
Other teams under
consideration were BWBR, Continuum Architects+Planners/Cannon Design and
Somerville Inc./Perkins+Will.
“All four design teams were
well qualified to take on this project,” said Carl Rasmussen, UW-Stevens
Point’s director of Facilities Planning. “It came down to how the Potter
Lawson, Inc., team jelled and how they presented their design approach in the
interview.”
Potter Lawson, Inc. will do
the work in association with HOK, an international architectural firm with its
nearest office in Chicago. The firm recently completed the Wisconsin Energy Institute on the UW-Madison campus while teamed with HOK and
previously designed two other UW-Madison buildings – the Genetics Biotechnology Building and the Rennebohm Hall School of Pharmacy.
The $75 million dollar,
169,165-square foot academic building will provide the biology and chemistry
units with sustainable construction, modern technology, seven 55-seat
classrooms, two 110-seat lecture halls, laboratory and research space, faculty
and staff offices, a conservatory, herbarium and animal care facilities. A
tentative timeline has construction beginning in the summer of 2015, and
completion set for the summer of 2017.
Chemistry and biology faculty first identified the need for more
space 20 years ago. The existing Science Building was built in 1963, and many
systems are outdated or worn. UW-Stevens Point has worked in earnest on
building plans and funding for the past five years. The project will be the
first free-standing new building at UW-Stevens Point in 40 years.
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