Biology Intranet - Genome Science Building FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the
Genome Science Building (GSB)

Below are some common questions and concerns that have been raised regarding the construction of the Genome Science Building (GSB) and other associated aspects of this Bell Tower Construction Project. If you have additional concerns/questions, please address them to Joe Kieber at jkieber@unc.edu.

	When will construction begin, and when will the building be completed? What are the components of the Bell Tower Project? What about parking? How will construction affect pedestrian traffic? Who will occupy the new building? How big will the building be? Will the building be environmentally friendly? What will happen to the Biology greenhouses? What about handicapped parking during construction? Will I be able to drive up to my building to drop things off during construction?

1	When will construction begin, and when will the building be completed?
	Construction began with some valve work in Jan. 2007. The next major phase of the project is the site utility work. This will commence Dec. 2007, and involves primarily re-locating the many utility lines that currently traffic through the GSB site. The next phase includes the construction of the GSB building itself, which will begin after the utility relocation is completed (~early winter 2008). The GSB building is scheduled to be completed in the Spring of 2011. The parking garage, which will replace the current Bell Tower surface parking lot, will be completed August 2010.

2	What are the components of the Bell Tower Project?
	In addition to the GSB building, the project includes the construction of a pedestrian bridge across South Road, a new 710 car parking deck, the renovation of the chiller plant at the south end of the Bell Tower lot, the creation of a green park, and mitigation of storm water runoff.

3	What about parking?
	Approximately 2/3 of the parking in the Bell Tower Lot will be unavailable starting November 26, 2007. As of Feb 1, 2008, essentially ALL parking will be unavailable in the Bell Tower lot. These spots will remain closed until the new Bell Tower Parking deck opens in August 2010. Alternative parking will be assigned in various campus lots, including Craig and Cobb decks. For the weekends and after hours, the following parking is available, subject to special event use: The Cobb deck (next to Paul green theater) is available after 4:00 Mon- Thurs, and after 5:00 on Fri and all day Sat and Sun. The W deck (under the new FedEx Global Education building on South Road) is open after 5 on weekdays and all weekend.

4	How will construction affect pedestrian traffic?
	From Nov 26th until the end of the project, various entrances/exits from Coker, Wilson and Fordham Halls will be closed for various periods. These generally include the entrances adjacent to the construction site (The current Bell Tower parking Lot, and the area between Coker, Wilson and Fordham). This includes the southeastern doors to Wilson, the eastern door to Fordham and the southern doors to Coker. See the biology intranet PowerPoint presentation on the GSB building for more details. A pedestrian lane between Wilson-Fordham and Coker will remain open for essentially the entire duration of the construction.

5	Who will occupy the new building?
	This has not as yet been decided, but most of the current CCGS hires in Biology will likely move into the GSB. In addition, there will be faculty from Chemistry and other departments in the building.

6	How big will the building be?
	The GSB will have a total of 200,000 sq ft., and will at the time of complete build-out house approximately 40 laboratories. These can be broken down as follows: Space that will be fully outfitted when the building opens: Five ~3,000 sq ft. wet labs that will house 3-4 PIs each (total of 15 PIs) One ~3,000 sq ft. synthetic chemistry lab (housing 3 PIs) Three ~1,500 sq ft. “dry” labs (housing 9 PIs focused on computational studies) Space that will shelled when the building opens Two ~3,000 sq ft. wet labs (ultimately housing 6 PIs) One ~3,000 sq ft. synthetic chemistry lab (ultimately housing 3 PIs) One ~1,500 sq ft. “dry” labs (ultimately housing 6 PIs) In addition, there will be one 450 seat lecture hall, one 250 seat lecture hall; one 80 seat lecture hall, four 30 seat seminar/classrooms and three campus core facilities (microscopy, robotics and crystallography), a stockroom and a café.

7	Will the building be environmentally friendly?
	The designs have incorporated a number of features to try to address sustainable development and the project is on course to achieve a LEED certified or a LEED silver rating. These features include: a green roof, ultra low flow toilets, high efficiency lighting, radiant/convective heating & cooling (a chilled beam system; requires no fans so also substantially quieter), shading fins, double wall construction and high performance glass to minimize heating/cooling costs, recycled content materials.

8	What will happen to the Biology greenhouses?
	The existing biology greenhouses will be torn down early in the construction project as several of the main utility lines pass directly under them. A suite of temporary greenhouses will be constructed next to the south end of Coker, where the dumpsters are currently located. The existing greenhouses will not be decommissioned until the temporary greenhouses are up and running. In addition, there will be a greenhouse set up at the Mason farm field site, to which Biology will have access.

9	What about handicapped parking during construction?
	There will be several handicapped parking spots available throughout the construction period.

10	Will I be able to drive up to my building to drop things off during construction?
	There will be access for service vehicles, delivery vehicles, and material drop off throughout the construction. The routes will change over the course of construction (see the biology intranet PowerPoint presentation on the GSB building for more details) and at times it may involve coordinating with the construction team to ensure prompt drop off at particular locations.