A planned research center at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville will allow for testing of building materials such as large steel beams and concrete girders.
"There is no facility to do this in the entire state of Arkansas at a large scale," said Kevin Hall, head of the civil engineering department at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Plans call for UA's new Civil Engineering Research and Education Center to be built in phases, with the first phase to cost approximately $10.13 million -- not including approximately $2.25 million in equipment for testing materials -- according to documents presented to trustees with the UA System.
At a meeting in Little Rock on Thursday, trustees approved the university's preference for Little Rock-based CDI Contractors to work as the construction manager for the project. Funding will come from a mix of private donors, university reserves and general obligation bonds supported by a facilities fee paid by UA students, according to documents presented to trustees.
Hall said the state has one of the largest steel industries in the country, as well as strong timber and concrete industries.
To allow for large beams to be tested, the initial phase calls for a high-bay construction two to three stories tall, as well as a special floor three to four feet thick, Hall said.
Testing allows engineers to learn what amount and type of loading causes beams to fail, or how structural elements hold up over time when subjected to repeated loading, Hall said.
"This is not something you can do in a normal building," Hall said.
Space in the approximately 25,000-square-foot first phase also will serve both undergraduate and graduate students, he said. The research park is about two miles southeast of the main campus.
"We really see this as a resource for the entire state of Arkansas. We hope to partner with our colleagues at other universities," Hall said, adding that the university will also reach out to industry.
In 2014, UA System trustees approved a design team for the project, with then-Chancellor David Gearhart stating: "Our plan is to get the design done, but we will not start any construction on the project until we have the funds in hand."
Mike Johnson, UA's associate vice chancellor for facilities, said the university wants to raise $5 million from private donors, including industry, before issuing a matching amount in bonds and then starting construction.
The university already owns most of the land required for the planned center, Johnson said, but would need to acquire some additional property to complete the site.
Future phases of the project would expand the center to about 66,900 square feet for a total project cost of about $33 million, but Johnson said other phases of the project have yet to be approved.
Johnson said that once construction begins, the first phase of the project will take approximately one year to complete.
Metro on 01/29/2016