Riverside Campus Plan - Office of Facilities Coordination - Texas ...

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY RIVERSIDE CAMPUS PLAN28FIGURE 1Explosion on Riverside. Partof the Security and ExplosivesSafety training program offeredby TEEXFIGURE 2La Belle conservation by NauticalArchaeology on RiversideCampus1UNLIKELY NEIGHBORS AT RIVERSIDEThe university’s investment in the RiversideCampus following the 2012 Campus Plan, builton the IT infrastructure improvement completedthat year. A series of grants and donations createda 21st century utility system that incorporatedadvanced Utilities and Energy Managementtechnology. The circulation loop uses road materialresearch from the Texas Transportation Institute(TTI) that attracted world-wide attention,and took advantage of other research projects tomaximize physical improvements to the campus,notably the electrically-powered shuttle bus.From the first view of the security entrance, theoverall appearance of the Riverside Campus remainsutilitarian and practical. Yet the pride anddedication that was inherent in its history as aWWII training base is reflected in the crisp organizationof the buildings, their use of simple yetelegant materials, and the quality of the workingspaces for researchers and staff. Some of the areasadjacent to office functions are softened bysimple landscaping, using few trees and with aheavy reliance on regional plant materials. Theroad system is designed to support internal trafficas well as visitors, all of whom recognize the effectivenessand sustainability of the natural drainagesystems and the lighting and security systemthat separates the main built area of the campusfrom the wide swaths of concrete runways from1942 and the 1950s. The research and trainingcarried out west of Flight Line Road ranges fromthe drama of crash-testing vehicles by TTI to therigorous driving training that is one of multipletraining programs of the Texas Engineering ExtensionService (TEEX). TEEX adds to the dramatoo, with live ammunition training and a remotepractice area for learning how to deal with the demolitionof unexploded ordnance!The Riverside Center has provided an invaluableopportunity for college faculty and system employeesto enjoy informal interaction. Coffee and2lunch in the cafeteria, and the availability of stateof-the-artmeeting rooms increase the chance ofshared expertize and understanding.In January 2018 researchers from the Institutefor Nautical Archaeology and the ConservationResearch Laboratory enjoy a lunch overlookingthe pastures to the north of the Riverside Centerand converse about the new discoveries inmaterial conservation that had resulted from theaddition of a new 2,000 SF facility across fromthe restored WWII Fire Station that remains theheadquarters for conserving ship artifacts that hadbeen the staple of their work for many years. Thenew wide-span building might not be as dramaticas the wood-trussed hangars from WWII, but it is