A significant portion of that funding includes $69 million over two years in asset preservation funds. To be matched by $17.3 million from UofL, this funding will enable the university to make major, much-needed repairs and upgrades to our facilities. Several asset preservation projects are already underway, thanks to the nearly $82 million the university received over the course of the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years. Some of these projects may cause inconvenience to employees, students and campus visitors. University Operations assures that the project teams for each of these initiatives will do their best to minimize any disruption to routine traffic flow, parking, as well as building access and use.

Building occupants will be notified directly about impacts to parking and specific work areas. Updates will also appear in UofL Today. The following are dates and details for each project. For questions, contact Sajid Mian, assistant vice president for facilities management.

College of Business Roof: Replacement of full roof. Anticipated completion: June 2024.

Ekstrom Library Roof: Replacement of full roof. Anticipated completion: June 2024.

School of Music Comstock Acoustic Cloud: Upgrade of the acoustic cloud in Comstock Hall. Anticipated completion: July 2024.

Thrust Theatre Kiln Roof: Replacement of full roof. Anticipated completion: August 2024.

Ernst Hall Auditorium: Renovation of auditorium, including replacement of the stage, seats, flooring, painting and lights. Renovation of three restrooms. Anticipated completion: August 2024.

Schneider Hall HVAC: Replacing HVAC and electrical systems as well as old and damaged furniture. Anticipated completion: August 2024.

Life Sciences Corridor Refresh: Project will include renovation of Lab 212, update to restrooms on the first and second floors, and a refresh of lobbies and student-facing spaces with painting, flooring and new lighting. Anticipated completion: August 2024.

Speed Tunnel Repair: Replace steam and chilled water piping in the tunnel under Eastern Parkway, including an upgrade to the lighting in the tunnel. This project will also include structural repairs to the tunnel. Anticipated completion: September 2024.

School of Music HVAC: Upgrade HVAC systems, including replacing ductwork, air handling units and the controls system. System needs upgrade to provide the ability to control the humidity to preserve valuable musical instruments in the building. Anticipated completion: September 2024.

Natural Science Building: Project will replace the entire mechanical system, steam and chill pipes, radiators, ductwork, sheet metal, pumps, ceiling throughout, light fixtures, electrical switchgear and roof. Additional work will include replacing all windows, refreshing the main corridors with new floors, paint and signage. Anticipated completion: January 2025.

J.B. Speed Building: Replace HVAC, full electrical, lighting, exhaust fans and ceilings. Ductwork and piping replaced on the first and second floors. Refreshing restrooms on the first, second and third floors along with refreshing the corridors. Anticipated completion: January 2025.

Ekstrom Library Addition: This project is not part of asset preservation allocations. Rather, it is part of one of the university’s capital improvement projects. The addition will provide additional space for students to study and collaborate, office space and increase the archive space to preserve the history of the university and Commonwealth of Kentucky. The expansion will take place on the south side of the building and includes expanding the first, second and basement floors to extend out to the edge of the original footprint of the building. Expanded space will provide about 1,800 square feet to each of the three floors and the opportunity to realign and repurpose spaces. Anticipated completion: July 2025.��

The five-story, 452-bed building will house incoming freshmen and is expected to open in fall 2022. It is part of an $87��million project to replace two outdated, 1960s-era residence halls in the heart of campus with two new residence halls that mirror each other in design and structure.

The first residence hall, already under construction, will open in fall 2021.

Together, the two halls will promote student success by providing cost-effective on-campus housing that includes more Living Learning communities — where students who share common interests reside near each other — and is close to classrooms, libraries, dining options and the Student Activities Center.

The new halls are “what students of today expect and deserve,” UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said in a video message. The groundbreaking was live streamed due to safety concerns from the ongoing global pandemic.

In addition, to assist in the planning and design of the new halls.

“These halls are built in a way students asked for,” said Grace Beebe, a representative of the student Residence Hall Association. Henrietta Ransdell, a Student Government Association representative who is also advising the planning and design, said the two halls are breathing “new life” to Belknap Campus from the inside and the outside.

Campus Housing Director Tom Hardy said the world-class residence halls include highlights such as two-story student lounges and are being built with construction materials that will stand the test of time.

“This is a great time for the students,” said Mike Materna, UofL’s assistant director of university planning, design and construction.

More details about the construction are��. To view the recorded ceremony,��

As soon as the spring semester ends, these employees move into action, able to operate more efficiently when the campus is at a slower pace, according to Aaron Boggs, director of Buildings and Grounds.

What the campus community will notice are details such as fresh mulch in the landscape beds, trimming, shrubbery and paint. What they won’t notice as much is all the work that has been done inside of the buildings.

“Many times, Housing will have a list of needs to address inside of the dorms. We also take on larger renovation projects as well as schedule major maintenance on air conditioning systems, electrical systems and plumbing during the summer break,” Boggs said.

The list of priorities for the team is extensive, but having a beautiful campus augments the students’ experience and is well worth it, Boggs adds.

“Our priorities are to make sure the students feel safe and comfortable while on campus and to help provide a great environment for them to learn in. We also believe that giving faculty and staff a great place to work supports them in their efforts of educating students,” he said. “Properly functioning buildings and aesthetically pleasing grounds have a synergistic effect on everyone at UofL.”

Several projects – including renovations in various buildings and refreshed paint – are new this year. However, much of the team’s time has been spent supporting the three major construction projects on the Belknap campus – the Belknap Academic Building, SAC renovations and Cardinal Stadium renovations.

“What most people don’t realize is that Physical Plant has thousands of hours invested in ensuring that our construction projects are successfully delivered,” Boggs said. “There hasn’t been a day that has gone by in the past two years where our staff has not supported these projects in some form or fashion.”

This is especially important for the Physical Plant crew members, as they’re tasked with maintaining the buildings after they’re completed.

Boggs said that while there is a push to get projects completed before the first day of the fall semester, the work isn’t much different than throughout the rest of the school year.

“Everything Physical Plant does all year long is to provide the best environment to learn in,” he said. “All of our effort is just part of the university’s mission to make UofL a great place to learn, work and invest in.”

While the Cardinals begin training for the 2018 campaign, the finishing touches are being put on a $63-million expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex, which began following the final home game of the 2016 season.

Construction crews continue to work in preparation for the 2018 season opener versus Indiana State on Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The seven-game home schedule will be one of the most exciting in recent history, with games versus Western Kentucky, Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State and Kentucky.

Below are some of the highlights included in the expansion project:

• The $63-million expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex began following the final home game of the 2016 season.
• The expansion calls for two new levels of luxury seating above the upper deck, which adds approximately 6,000 additional seats. The expansion includes 800 modern club seats, 68 new premium loge level boxes and 12 exclusive field level suites, while adding 25,000-square feet of distinct space.
• The middle of the field level will feature a special entrance for the team surrounded by supporters. The design provides a connection between the east and west sides of the venue. Stadium seating will continue to feature all chairbacks fans, providing the only university-owned and operated stadium in the nation with that element.
• Two 40-foot by 80-foot LED videoboards will be installed in the north end zones.
• The stadium will possess more than 8,000-square feet of ribbon boards throughout.
• A 24-foot by 92-foot football videoboard will be installed in the south end zone.
• A total of 344 feet of ribbon boards will be mounted on the east and west sides of the stadium.
• The training room will be equipped with five total pools: two plunge pools that will require 12,000 gallons of water, and the hydro-therapy room will be furnished with three pools, including a HydroWorx pool that contains an underwater treadmill, used for low-impact cardio workouts and early rehabilitation projects.
• The training room, which will have four times the amount of rehabilitation space, will be equipped with two adjustable hot-cold tubs that can each hold up to 24 players.
• The training area will house three doctor suites.
• The Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex will contain 13 meetings rooms throughout the facility, compared to the eight rooms in the previous complex.
• Each of the position groups will have its own meeting space.
• The team auditorium holds 150 padded-chairback seats, which is 30 more than was located in the previous complex.
• The defensive unit will have its own meeting area, an auditorium that will have a capacity of 70 seats.
• The weight room, which previously consisted of about 9,000-square feet, will expand to 20,000-square feet.

Jacob Brown is a UofL graduate and senior project manager for Whittenberg construction company. He’s helping direct the work on the expansion and renovation of the Student Activities Center.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to come back here and kind of relive and remember the memories of walking through campus and actually doing something for the university” Brown said. “It gives you a good sense of pride.”�� ��

Henderson Services, led by Chair/CEO Bruce Henderson, is working on the Pediatrics Building and the Football Stadium expansion.��

“I think we all, including myself, take that added sense of pride when we do something as a UofL alum, specifically when it’s a UofL facility,” said Henderson, a��1973 graduate of the Speed School.

Check out more of their story below:��

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The new building will be adjacent to the UofL Physicians Outpatient Center, located at 401 E. Chestnut St.

Planning for the building began in January 2015 and Architectural firms GBBN, Stanley, Beaman & Sears and Messer Construction Co. have been engaged since June 2015.

“This will be the premier pediatrics care building for children in the state of Kentucky,” said Dr. Gerard Rabalais, chair of the UofL Department of Pediatrics. “This will allow parents easy access to pediatrics specialists and primary care providers in one location, with everything designed specifically for children and their families. It is our intent that through this new facility, we will be building the future of pediatric care for years to come.”

An official groundbreaking ceremony with more details on the overall vision for the building is scheduled for fall.