UT Dallas has been praised for exceeding the accessibility requirements of people with disabilities in the design and construction of the Student Services Building.
The Accessibility Award, presented by the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and the Accessibility Professionals Association, was presented in Austin on Jan. 27 with a framed proclamation from Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
In giving the award, the groups praised UT Dallas for making the building “accessible to all, while also making sure the site’s overall design was beautiful.”
“Our team demonstrated that you can construct an efficient, accessible and sustainable iconic facility that is responsive to the needs of students,” said Dr. Calvin Jamison, vice president for administration who accepted the award for the University. “We are humbly appreciative of all the recognition, which highlights the positive growth UT Dallas is experiencing.”
Accessibility features in the Student Services Building include three automatic exterior doors, an accessible elevator and automatic doors for two interior offices – the Student Health Center and the Office of Student AccessAbility. The building opened in 2010.
The Student Services Building has won a spate of design awards in recent months.
In December, the building was lauded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, in conjunction with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, for its eco-friendly design.
Prior to that, the building received LEED Platinum status by the United States Green Building Council. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a designation that recognizes environmentally conservative or “green” design and construction features. The Platinum designation is the highest LEED certification level a building can achieve.
“What is most gratifying to me is the fact that this building, which was constructed as an initiative of the University’s student body, has garnered such a significant number of awards,” said Rick Dempsey, associate vice president for facilities management.