The University of Oregon is seeking national expertise to help it envision and accommodate future development on campus.
After two decades of building boom on campus, there doesn’t appear to be a lull in sight. With three large projects underway currently (Straub/Earl halls, EMU and Student Recreation Center), two more set to begin this fall (Housing Central Kitchen and Price Science Commons and Research Library), and three more about to begin site selection (softball stadium, residence hall and a science building), it is time to create a physical framework vision to add greater specificity to the Campus Plan. The effort is also intended to increase the information available to campus as decisions are made about where to place new buildings.
“The University of Oregon has a beautiful 295-acre campus footprint that is finite and needs careful consideration as we look ahead to future growth,” said Chris Ramey, university architect and associate vice president for Campus Planning, Design & Construction. “We have wanted to do this kind of a visioning study for quite some time.”
A request for proposals was issued seeking responses from qualified, national experts who can serve as a consultant for the framework vision development. The selected consultant will work in coordination with a 13- to 15-person advisory group being convened by Jamie Moffitt, vice president for Finance and Administration.
The advisory group will include representatives from faculty, students, staff, the UO’s board of trustees, off-campus architects and designers, the UO’s Campus Planning Committee and its Space Advisory Group.
“The intent of this process is to identify parts of campus for specific uses, create locations for buildings, better define and expand open spaces, address capacity and density issues, and as a result, more completely inform the evaluation of proposed development on campus,” said Ramey. “Our sense of place is special and we need to accommodate growth and change while preserving the beauty of the campus and options for the future.”
As part of the vision, a more detailed evaluation will be made for each of the areas of campus under consideration for the three new projects, including the softball stadium, residence hall and science building.
The framework plan creation process is expected to take 12 to 18 months and will include opportunities for public input.
-- By Julie Brown, public affairs communication