University of Iowa Debuts 10-Year Construction, Upgrade Plan

The University of Iowa (UI) recently announced that it will begin planning the next 10 years of facilities construction and upgrades, creating much-needed academic space at the core of campus. Rod Lehnertz, senior vice president for finance and operations, and UI Hospitals & Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekaran presented a preliminary draft of the UI’s 10-year facilities master plan to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, as the university sought the board’s approval to proceed with planning the extensive revitalization of campus. 

While the 10-year plan is likely to evolve and change, projects designed to support the university’s academic mission and improve student success, include: 

• modernizing MacLean, Jessup, and Macbride halls on the Pentacrest for academic use and moving university administrative functions to the original Art Building 
• renovating the former Museum of Art building for use by the Department of Dance and razing Halsey Hall 
• renewing building systems and layouts of the Iowa Memorial Union and replacing the adjacent IMU Parking Ramp with a new, modern structure 
• renewal and modernization of the Main Library 
• modernizing Hardin Library for the Health Sciences for improved research support. 

The plan also includes: expanding the Tippie College of Business; purchasing and renovating the balance of University Capitol Centre; selling the Jefferson Building and relocating occupants to academic space on campus; and relocating the UI’s four cultural centers to the west end of Hubbard Park. 

Some of the projects envisioned for the healthcare campus include: 

• the construction of a new inpatient tower for UI Hospitals & Clinics, adding much-needed capacity of more than 200 beds and providing for a single bed per room patient environment 
• building a new ambulatory care center connected to the main hospital at the current location of the Field House 
• raze and replace the Medical Education Building with a modern health care research facility 
• construction of a new academic building to house the Communications Sciences and Disorders program and Health and Human Physiology, the university’s fastest-growing undergraduate major.

 Dan Hounsell is senior editor, facility group.

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