MSOE to break ground for its first athletics facility in 100 year history
| Published: 03/24/2003 |
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Celebrating its centennial this year, MSOE is seizing the opportunity to contemplate its growth over 100 years. One signpost of the university's ongoing progress is the construction of The Kern Center, a privately funded, $31 million recreation, athletic, health and wellness facility. It is the first such facility for MSOE, which competes in NCAA Division III athletics.
The official groundbreaking ceremony for The Kern Center is slated for 5 p.m. Friday, April 11. MSOE officials expect to occupy the center by fall 2004.
The 210,000-square-foot Kern Center will exemplify MSOE's commitment to providing students a well-rounded university experience, giving students ample access to fitness, whether they are participating in NCAA athletics, intramural sports or individual fitness programs. Because MSOE currently rents several specialized facilities throughout the metro area, bringing a number of athletics functions together under one roof will encourage participation in athletics and fitness, save athletes time they now spend traveling to practice and increase attendance at sporting events by the community. It also will be an important asset in attracting prospective students to the university.
Architect for this project is Uihlein-Wilson Architects of Milwaukee and construction manager is Hunzinger Construction Co. of Brookfield, Wis.
The center will be built on a formerly city-owned parking lot at the northern end of MSOE's campus, north of Juneau Avenue and bordered by Broadway, Market and Knapp Streets. It is the southern edge of the newly developing Park East corridor.
The new facility will dramatically increase the total amount of space available for athletics functions including a fitness center, a 1,600-seat hockey arena, 1,200-seat basketball arena, field house, recreational running track and wrestling area. It also will encompass three classrooms, offices and facilities associated with the athletics, counseling and health services, and underground parking for 50 vehicles.
The Kern Center is a contemporary brick and glass building comprised of four major building masses arranged on either side of a central spine wall. These elements are a main entrance and fitness pavilion, basketball arena, field house and an office block. The building employs an extensive use of natural daylight through a glazed ellipse at the corner of Broadway and Knapp Streets, and clerestory windows for major indoor spaces.
MSOE's value to Wisconsin businesses is exemplified by the generous private support for this project by the business community, including a $9 million pledge by The Robert & Patricia Kern Family Foundation, for whom the center is named, and Dr. Eckhart and Ischi Grohmann's pledge to underwrite the land acquisition.
Living laboratories
The Kern Center construction will
accommodate several "living laboratories" so that the building's
features can be integrated into complementary course work. Examples
include a Mechanicals Lab, wherein mechanical equipment can be
monitored via remote instrumentation, a Lumination Lab to explore
lighting, and a Structural Lab that utilizes measurement gauges mounted
in the ceilings. The construction activities that are in line with
course work in the B.S. in Architectural Engineering, B.S. in
Construction Management and M.S. in Structural Engineering programs
will be closely followed by students.
More information about the Kern Center is available at http://www.msoe.edu/pr/news/projects/kerncenter.shtml.
Founded in 1903, MSOE is celebrating its first 100 years. MSOE is an independent university with about 2,600 students. MSOE offers 16 bachelor's degrees in areas such as engineering, nursing, business, management information systems, technical communication, engineering technology and construction management. Graduate study includes engineering, engineering management, environmental engineering, structural engineering, medical informatics and perfusion.