FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2006

Contact: Angie Joe
713.743.8153 (office)
281.617.7138 (cell)
ajoe@uh.edu

HOUSTON, Oct. 10, 2006 – The University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL) has selected the joint-venture team of Architechnics 3 and Page Southerland Page to design its new academic building.

Hiring a joint-venture team instead of a single firm enables planning and construction to move forward on an accelerated schedule without sacrificing quality, said David Irvin, University of Houston System (UHS) associate vice chancellor for plant operations.

Although both firms will be involved during the entire process, Page Southerland Page will update the master plan, programming and design of the building, while Architechnics 3 will take the lead on specifications and construction documentation. Irvin estimates that the joint-venture approach will get the new building online eight months sooner than could otherwise be expected.

“The strengths of Architechnics 3 and Page Southerland Page complement each other,” Irvin said. “We’ll have more professionals to choose from, particularly at key points throughout the project.”

Both firms have a history of working with higher education institutions. Architechnics 3 has designed and built at Texas Southern University and numerous community colleges in the state. Page Southerland Page designed the original master plan for the UHSSL campus and collaborated on the design of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Houston.

The building design should be ready for approval by the UHS Board of Regents by mid-November, Irvin said. A groundbreaking for the new building is planned for the first quarter of 2007. Classes are scheduled to begin in the new facility by fall 2008.

The “Building Futures Together” campaign was launched in May 2005 to support construction of a new academic building at the UHSSL site that will be shared by the UH System and Wharton County Junior College (WCJC). To date, the campaign has raised $1.2 million in private funds in addition to $4 million pledged by The George Foundation. The City of Sugar Land has also committed $3.5 million toward the $35 million project in a unique lease agreement that will support the development of entertainment and recreation facilities on the campus. UHS has committed $22.9 million in tuition revenue bonds toward the construction cost.

More than sixty new classrooms of various sizes are projected for the new building, as well as a performance hall/auditorium, computer labs, science laboratories and nursing skills laboratories. The new classrooms will provide seating for approximately 2,500 students. The building will also provide faculty offices, a bookstore, weight rooms, a student lounge, and a food court. The current facility, the Albert and Mamie George Building, will serve as an instructional site and as the administrative headquarters for UHSSL and WCJC.

UHSSL is a teaching center that offers junior, senior and graduate courses leading to more than 30 bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the four UH System universities. Established in 1996, UHSSL offers multiple methods of instruction including face-to-face, instructional television, online, broadcast TV and videotape purchase.

About the University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch and University of Houston System at Sugar Land
The UH System at Cinco Ranch and UH System at Sugar Land are collaborative efforts of the four UH System
universities: University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown and UH-Victoria. Students apply to the university that offers the degree they are seeking and then take courses at either UH System at Cinco Ranch or UH System at Sugar Land. For more information, visit www.cincoranch.uh.edu and www.sugarland.uh.edu.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
The University of Houston System is the state’s only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master’s-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation’s first educational television station.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.