Project Schedule

May 2006 Schematic design and rendering completion

May 2006 Ground breaking ceremony
September 2006 Site development completion

November 2006 Construction begins
November 2007 Hard hat tour

June 2008 Project completion
September 2008 Building occupancy

November 2008 Grand opening

Project Plans

The Norton School 's new home, McClelland Park , will be a 70,000 gross square foot building at Park Avenue and 4th Street , near the UA campus' newly remodeled Park Student Union and the west-side main entry point, with a view north to the Catalina Mountains. Read more.

Floor Plans

Flip through images of the floor plans for the new building and new home for the John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Project Cost Estimates

The project's total cost is $24,000,000. The project budget includes construction, equipment, furnishings, fees, contingency, and fund raising costs. Construction costs are estimated using ABOR Cost Control Guidelines and other sources, such as Engineering News Record. Additional, more refined estimates are obtained during the design phase of the project by the project architects and the construction manager.

The UA's process involves a construction manager at risk. The manager is “at risk” because s/he needs to provide the owner a guaranteed maximum price at which s/he can bring in the project. If the project goes over, the construction manager assumes the cost overrun. The university will receive a guaranteed maximum price from the construction manager at risk after design development is complete.

Green/Environmentally Sustainable Features

McClelland Park is being planned with a great deal of attention to environmental sustainability. For example, the building's relationship to the sun is being carefully considered. The south façade of the building will be shaded with a scrim and overhead ramada that will act as a large building louver protecting the building from the desert sun while maximizing daylight and views for the interior research space. The north façade, on the other hand, will be open to the light to minimize use of electricity for heating and artificial lighting. The mechanical systems will be very efficient; for instance, the building will have a two-part air system, so that half of the system can be shut down at the end of the work day, reducing power usage by 50%. Contractors will receive strict specifications for materials, including required recycled content. There is the possibility of harvesting some rain water to percolate into the adjacent green space.

SmithGroup is adopting more and more "green" design practices with a national goal of leading the profession in sustainable design innovation. Indeed, the firm designed the first building achieving the U.S. Green Building Council's platinum level LEED certification, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters. Many of the architects working on the project are UA alumni and have been educated within a culture of sustainable design for arid places. The building was originally intended to be LEED certified. However, as materials costs increased, planners made the difficult decision not to pursue the certification due to the fees required to complete the certification process itself. The building will meet certification standards, however, with idea that it is more important to deliver the product-a sustainable building-than to pursue the "symbol" of certification. If circumstances permit, we may pursue certification in future.

How the Project Will Help the Norton School Fulfill Its Mission

McClelland Park is integral to the Norton School 's effort to better achieve its mission of strengthening families, communities, and the marketplace. The three key issues that face the organization are managing growth, striving for greater excellence, and increasing resources in an era of diminished state support for education and increasing demand for services. Read more.

Building Progress - See updates here.

Construction Question of the Month: here