Extra!
UT System Regents Approve Final Plans for New UTDB Building
By Rhonda Moran, Dental Branch
A new building for The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston moved a step closer to reality Thursday (Aug. 20) when the UT System Board of Regents approved final plans for the $155 million project.
Dental Branch Interim Dean John A. Valenza, D.D.S., said construction could be under way by December, with completion expected in 2012. The new building, designed by WHR Architects of Houston, will replace the current 1955 facility and allow the school to increase enrollment by approximately 20 percent. The general contractor is Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
“We are delighted and excited about the Regents’ action,” Valenza said. “This critical approval puts us one step closer to finally getting started on constructing our new facility.”
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., said the Regents’ action is evidence of their strong support of excellence in dental education. “The Dental Branch was the first dental school in Texas, and with the continued support of UT System, we will make sure it continues to be a leader for decades to come,” Kaiser said. “Ultimately, this is an investment in the health of Texas.”
The new building will be located off Old Spanish Trail, approximately one mile south of the current Dental Branch building, and will be part of the UT Research Park currently under construction. Other components of the Research Park are the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building (BBSB) and the Center for Advanced Biomedical Imaging Research (CABIR), a joint project of The UT Health Science Center at Houston and The UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, in cooperation with GE Healthcare and the Texas Enterprise Fund.
The BBSB will connect to the new Dental Branch building on multiple levels. The dental school will have research space in the BBSB, and Dental Branch researchers will work in both BBSB and CABIR.
While the economic recession has helped reduce construction costs from original estimates, Valenza said the school still needs outside funding to realize the full vision of creating the best dental school possible. The new building will be a core facility on which to build, and the Dental Branch will have a list of high-priority projects — such as an auditorium and advanced simulation clinic — ready to go as additional funds become available.
To help complete the building as proposed, the Dental Branch has established an estimated philanthropic goal of $20 million. Development Director John Greer said the school already has raised $5.5 million for the building through the Open to Health fundraising initiative, which also seeks financial support for new scholarships, professorial endowments, community outreach efforts and dental research. For more information on the initiative, contact Greer at 713-500-4386 or John.T.Greer@uth.tmc.edu.
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Architect’s sketch (above) of the new Dental Branch building’s southern view. Construction could begin in late 2009 or early 2010.
(Photo left) The new dental school will be built on the vacant site in the foreground, at the corner of East Road and Cambridge Street in the UT Research Park now under construction. The Astrodome is in the background. |
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