OU Board of Regents approved the relocation of the architecture model shop to a university building on south campus last month -- a location which students say is too far from Gould Hall.
Demolition of the current shop is necessary to make way for a new parking lot.
Brandon Specketer, president of OU's chapter of American Institute of Architecture Students, said the new building will provide adequate parking for students while the current building does not, but that is where the benefits for students end.
"The location is just too far away to be effectively used by students," Specketer said. "The logistics of traveling from the studio to the model shop, and back just don't work considering there is never enough parking (at Gould Hall) for students during studio times."
Parking is the reason the administration needs the current building, the Wilson Center Main building, to be demolished. The building demolition will add approximately 250 to 300 spaces to the multipurpose lot located at the southwest corner of Jenkins Avenue and Lindsey Street. A $5.5 million parking expansion project approved by the regents in May 2002 funds the change.
James Patterson, associate dean of the College of Architecture, said the college would prefer the model shop to be close to Gould Hall.
"Our preference would have been to have it stay where it is," he said.
Nick Thomas, woodshop manager, said only three buildings were available for the model shop relocation.
One building next door to the indoor practice field had no student parking, another building was too far away, and the George Street building offered 24 parking spots with no permit required, Thomas said.
The new building is about 2,000 square feet larger than the current facility and will allow the tool crib, the computer lab and the digital photo lab to be larger, Thomas said.
This facility will have a painting shop the old facility does not have.
Thomas said it takes about 12 minutes to get to the new location from Gould Hall.
"We all agree that the model shop should be located near Gould Hall, but this building fits our needs and is better than anything else that we could go to," Thomas said.
Specketer said Architecture Dean Bob Fillpot suggested building a new facility between Gould Hall and the South Oval parking lot and asked students for advice on the issue. Specketer said building a new facility next to Gould Hall would have been the best option for students, but he was not sure if the university had considered that idea as an option.
"Dean Fillpot worked hard to keep the location close and accessible to students, but his options were limited," Specketer said.
Patterson said building a new facility next to the college was talked about early in the process, but did not fit in with the university's long range plans.
Melanie Criss, architecture junior, said driving to the new facility with all the needed equipment would be difficult.
"I understand that parking is a problem and a necessity, but it is unfortunate to lose such a convenient model shop," she said.
The move will take place in mid-July and will not interrupt spring or fall semester projects, Thomas said.
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