  {"id":73368,"date":"2017-10-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-begins-construction-of-new-welcome-center\/"},"modified":"2017-10-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T00:00:00","slug":"uri-begins-construction-of-new-welcome-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2017\/10\/uri-begins-construction-of-new-welcome-center\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 begins construction of new Welcome Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>KINGSTON, R.I. October 16, 2017 &#8212; The concrete structure that served as the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Visitor\u2019s Center since 1978 has been razed to make way for a new, $7.98 million, 11,000-square-foot Welcome Center.<\/p>\n<p>The new center will be nearly 12 times the size of the previous facility. The project will also include improvements to parking lot 1 off Briar Lane. 溏心vlog免费B站 is financing the project using University funds, not including those from tuition and fees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis facility will help welcome the 50,000-plus visitors who come to the Kingston Campus each year,\u201d said Dean Libutti, vice provost for enrollment management. \u201cThis building will have outstanding physical features to welcome our guests and will tell the 溏心vlog免费B站 story of our past, present and future.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_49397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49397\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Interior-Model-Enter-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-hang wp-image-49397 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Interior-Model-Enter-2.jpg\" alt=\"Rendering of welcome center lobby\" width=\"450\" height=\"216\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-49397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This rendering shows the interior of the new Welcome Center. DBVW Architects of Providence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt will help all those who visit (prospective students and family members, employers, alumni, business and community leaders) begin to fully experience 溏心vlog免费B站 as soon as they step on campus,\u201d Libutti said.<\/p>\n<p>It is being built on the same site as the former Visitors Center at Upper College Road and Briar Lane, at the main entrance just beyond the granite gates, and adjacent to the World War I Oak Tree Memorial.<\/p>\n<p>The building\u2019s design reflects the historic Upper College Road district and 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s spirit of innovation. It complements the two-and-a-half year-old Gender and Sexuality Center, which is located nearby on Upper College Road.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you come to the Welcome Center, you are going to know you are at 溏心vlog免费B站,\u201d said Erin Earle, assistant director of Admission for the campus visitor experience. \u201cI am most excited about our history wall, which will depict important milestones at 溏心vlog免费B站. We will be true to the University\u2019s brand and also highlight our outstanding academic programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The one-story structure will feature peaked roofs, wooden clapboards, stained cedar siding and large windows. Walkways will visually and physically connect the building to the heart of the campus. The University will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy &amp; Environmental Design) Silver Certification for the project. A program of the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED Certification is a globally recognized symbol of excellence in sustainable construction.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_49399\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49399\" style=\"width: 347px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Old-BLDG-NL-002.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" no-hang wp-image-49399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/Old-BLDG-NL-002.jpg\" alt=\"Original 1978 Welcome Center\" width=\"347\" height=\"237\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-49399\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo of the former Visitors Center, which was built in 1978 and was recently razed for construction of the new Welcome Center. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe New Welcome Center makes the entire process easy since parking will be provided near the center, tours will begin there, and admission staff will be on hand as well,\u201d Earle said. \u201cParents and prospective students will be able to mingle with each other, and our 110 tour guides will now have a home where they can work more closely with each other, Admission staff and our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Inside, the center will feature an open reception area and two presentation areas for information sessions, three offices, one large conference room,\u00a0restrooms and flexible, float offices for staff to use during the busy season.<\/p>\n<p>Four digital screens, two with interactive features, will provide visitors with event, academic and broad information about the University. \u201cAnd for the first time, the Welcome Center will be able to offer visitors refreshments,\u201d Earle said.<\/p>\n<p>While prospective students and their parents will be central to the mission of the Welcome Center, Earle emphasized that the University will now have great space to welcome all who come to campus- including visiting lecturers and faculty, artists and business leaders working with University programs.<\/p>\n<p>Campus groups will be able to book the center for a variety of functions, including lectures and meetings. \u201cWe will also be able to accommodate events that include dining,\u201d Earle said. \u201cThe center gives us more room to celebrate who we are as a University. We did well with what we had, but we did not have the kind of space that would encourage people to really immerse themselves in the 溏心vlog免费B站 experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twenty percent of the space has cathedral ceilings. Floors will have carpeting, tile and hardwood. The new center will include five women\u2019s and five men\u2019s rooms and one gender inclusive bathroom.<\/p>\n<p>The center is slated to be completed in time for the fall 2018 semester.<\/p>\n<p>DBVW Architects of <strong>Providence<\/strong> worked with 溏心vlog免费B站 to design a structure to enhance the main entrance to the campus. E.W. Burman, Inc. of <strong>Warwick <\/strong>is the contractor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am excited about this project, which will result in a more accessible, visible home for visitors,\u201d said Schane M. Tallardy, construction projects manager for 溏心vlog免费B站. \u201cThis is a great location, and everyone on campus is going to be able to see the progress and get excited. When potential students and their families come to visit, they will get a wonderful introduction to the wide range of opportunities at 溏心vlog免费B站.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KINGSTON, R.I. October 16, 2017 &#8212; The concrete structure that served as the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Visitor\u2019s Center since 1978 has been razed to make way for a new, $7.98 million, 11,000-square-foot Welcome Center. The new center will be nearly 12 times the size of the previous facility. The project will also include improvements [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}