Renovations Planned for UA rnEngineering Research Center
by June 13, 2011 12:00 am 71 views
A renovation project at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park is scheduled to take place during the next 18 months, the University of Arkansas announced recently.
The $2.5 million renovation of the Engineering Research Center, built in the 1940s and acquired by the university in 1980, aims to improve the safety, security and appearance of the building, said Shannon Davis, assistant dean for research in the university’s College of Engineering.
The College of Engineering, according to a university news release, will pay for the project over the next four years with research incentive funds.
“It’s money we have that’s earmarked just for this purpose,” Davis said.
Twenty percent of those funds will be used to reallocate space and make room for three new faculty labs.
The rest is earmarked for electrical upgrades, additional safety features and increased security.
Emergency lighting and exit systems will be upgraded and emergency back-up power will be provided for critical labs requiring uninterrupted power.
CDI Contractors Inc. of Fayetteville will lead that part of the renovation project.
Security cameras will also be installed and card readers will replace conventional door locks. Several areas of the building will get a facelift, including the facade on the north end.