Inside Iowa State

Feb. 10, 2006

College of Design receives first green light for building addition

by Anne Krapfl

Leaders in the College of Design will move forward with planning for a building addition to the Design Center that would replace the studio space the college currently uses in the Armory. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the request at its Feb. 1 meeting in Ames.

A proposed 22,000-square-foot addition would replace approximately 16,000 feet assigned to the college for classrooms and labs on the main floor of the Armory. The "rooms" have partial (7-foot) walls and, with a few exceptions, no doors. Lack of security (for university computers, student projects) and an inadequate number of restrooms available also are reasons cited in the college's request.

Several regents, particularly board president Michael Gartner, questioned why architects among the college's faculty wouldn't take on the design for the addition themselves. Design dean Mark Engelbrecht said that, following university procedure, a college committee would make recommendations about selecting an architect. Faculty also have begun to develop recommendations for how the space will be used -- as a precursor to its design, he said.

"You'll get the best of both worlds, but we'd like to make the selection of the architect as wide open as possible," he said.

Engelbrecht is not seeking a state appropriation to help pay for the addition. Its estimated $6.25 million cost would be covered by private gifts ($3.75 million), income from ISU temporary investments ($2 million) and reallocated funds from the college ($500,000).

In other business, the regents:

• Gave ISU permission to seek bids to sell the warehouse property off Duff Avenue on Southeast 5th St. (near the Target store). In light of recent and future commercial development along Duff Avenue, the property is valuable but the warehouse on it needs repair. Iowa State proposes to consolidate its warehousing at the former Ames/ISU ice arena.
• Approved ISU's request to use board of regent financing to purchase an estimated $3.4 million in imaging equipment for the College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. ISU would have the only CT and MRI scanning equipment for animals in central Iowa. Currently, the hospital uses equipment at Mary Greeley Medical Center, when the schedule allows. Revenue generated by use of the equipment would pay for it over five years.

The regents' next meeting is March 20-21 in Ottumwa.

A proposed 22,000-square-foot addition to the College of Design would replace approximately 16,000 feet assigned to the college for classrooms and labs on the main floor of the Armory.