As part an overhaul of the university's landscape known as the Campus Master Plan, new construction projects are now in various stages of completion on the
west side of campus.
The current Master Plan UW-Madison is executing is the second program of its kind; the first was completed in 1996. Ald. Robbie Weber, District 5, describes the Master Plan as a process of \looking at all of campus and seeing where we can do some future development.""
The university has contracted Ayers Saint Gross, a firm based out of Baltimore, to carry out the construction, which may take as long as 10 to 15 years to complete.
The construction has plans for the deluxe Interdisciplinary Research Center, a complex that will house research facilities for the UW-Madison School of Medicine, located just north of UW Hospital.
The current medical research laboratories are in the Medical Science complex and the proposed IRC will allow research to be done ""in close proximity to the hospital,"" said Gary Brown, UW-Madison director of planning and landscape architecture.
The IRC complex is being built in three distinct phases. The finished building will consist of a three-story base with three towers of varying heights built on top.
According to Doug Sabatke, a contact for the IRC project, ""the reason it is being built in phases is because of fundraising.""
The university will need to secure funds for the project gradually, as the projected cost for Phase 1 alone is $133,9 million.
Construction for this ""Phase 1,"" which will have a total area of 456,600 square feet, is expected to commence in the Fall 2005 and conclude in the Spring 2008.
Other projects in the area include a new parking complex, labeled ""Lot 76"" and a series of research greenhouses being built on Walnut Street.
Parking Lot 76, located on the east side of the Nielson Center, will replace the adjacent Lot 63, which is being demolished to make room for the construction of the IRC. According to Brown, the new parking structure will be able to accommodate the 1,285 cars.
Expected to be completed in June 2005, new greenhouses will replace their outdated predecessors on Walnut Street, their current location.
Also currently under construction on the west side, but unrelated to the campus Master Plan is the West Campus Cogeneration Plant.
The plant, described by Brown as ""a power plant that generates steam and electricity,"" is owned by Madison Gas & Electric but is situated on university property under a long-term lease. It is expected to be operational by May of this year.
