Ball State University continues to push forward in providing opportunities for their staff and students in meeting the growing demand for STEM professionals. The University’s new Foundational Sciences Building is located just south of the new Heath Professions Building in the east Quad on the north side of Ashland Avenue.  The new 206,500 square foot, five-story building will include classrooms, teach and research laboratories, a research library, conference rooms, computer labs, collaborative space, and faculty offices.  Cripe provided surveying and civil engineering services for this integral part of campus.  In addition to the building, the project also includes pedestrian connectivity through and around the site, dock and delivery access to the building, as well as integration with the adjacent Cultural Trail design along Ashland Avenue and the East Mall project north of the proposed building site. The design needed to include and work around existing infrastructure including sanitary, storm, an aging water line, the newly installed campus telecommunication and electric duct banks, the newly installed chilled and hot water supply and return lines, the existing electric distribution lines, newly installed gas main, as well coordination and design of the water main extension along Ashland Avenue.  To address the stormwater management component of the project, a dry detention basin is provided north of the Foundational Science Building and within the East Mall project area.  The basin serves both the East Mall project and the Foundational Sciences Building.  Additional water quality is provided for the site runoff via an inlet filter in the dock area and a hydrodynamic bmp unit on the storm sewer network prior to discharging to the dry detention basin.

The design process requires extensive coordination with the project design team members, the construction team, numerous utilities, and Ball State University.  The project is pursuing LEED silver certification.