Lipscomb University Board Approves New Academic Building
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Construction on the $11.3 million Ezell Center for Biblical Studies will begin next month, said Dr. Steve Flatt, Lipscomb University president.
Flatt said the building will be named for the extended family of Mr. and Mrs. Miles Ezell Sr. in recognition of their support of Lipscomb through the years.
"The building will be named the Ezell Center for Biblical Studies reflecting our gratitude to the Ezell family for its generous support of this project and to Lipscomb University through the decades. When details of our master plan were unveiled in 1999, both Miles Ezell, Jr., and his brother, Bill Ezell, were on our board. They immediately caught the vision and the need for such a facility. They, along with other significant donors, helped to make this building possible. While more than just the College of Bible and Ministry will be located in the building, those studies will be the centerpiece of this new facility," said Flatt.
The 77,000 square-foot facility will contain 24 classrooms as well as academic offices and conference rooms. The building will house the College of Bible and Ministry, the McCaleb Mission Center and the departments of education, sociology and social work, communication and history, politics and philosophy. Other features include the Doris Swang Chapel, the Paul Rogers Board Room, Sanders Baxter Hall and the Bill and Dot Mullican Television Studio. Several administrative offices will also be located in the building.
"This new building may be the most significant accomplishment of the campaign to date. It will be the largest, most comprehensive and most attractive building on campus. It will be the new academic hub of campus," Flatt said.
The facility is a major construction goal outlined in Lipscomb University's Lighting the Way: Igniting the Future campaign.
"This facility will provide students with a better learning environment. The classrooms will have the latest technology. The television studio will give the students a great hands-on learning opportunity. It will also be beneficial to have a lot of these academic departments together," said Dr. Craig Bledsoe, provost.
Construction of the new facility will require relocation of the university's intercollegiate softball field and a parking lot. Both facilities are expected to be finished by the time school begins this fall, Flatt said.
Lipscomb University partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to determine an environmentally friendly method of heating and cooling the Ezell Center for Biblical Studies, according to Michael Fulks, director of campus services. The building will use a geothermal heat pump system, which should save the university money on utilities.
"This is a much more fuel-efficient way of heating and cooling a building than using the conventional system. We're anticipating an annual savings of between $30,000 and $40,000 on our utilities," said Fulks. "It's a relatively new technique that few universities are using at this point."
Underneath the frost line, the ground stays at a constant temperature of approximately 57 degrees Fahrenheit. According to TVA officials, this temperature is an extremely efficient operating temperature for heat pumps. Geothermal heat pump systems circulate water between a water loop, called an earth heat exchanger, and water-to-air heat pumps located throughout a commercial building. The earth heat exchanger is most often a network of high density polyethylene piping in vertical boreholes, 150-300 feet deep. Each heat pump has its own thermostat and is connected to the circulating water loop. The constant temperature earth heats or cools the circulating water loop as needed to balance the building's year-round heating and cooling requirements.
Tuck-Hinton Architects designed the facility and D.F. Chase Inc. has been selected as the contractor, according to Fulks.
The Ezell Center for Biblical Studies is part of the university's campus master plan. In December 2003, Lipscomb University's campus master plan was granted "institutional overlay" status by Nashville Davidson County's Metro Council. The council voted 38-0 to approve the plan on third reading, making Lipscomb the first university in Nashville to be granted the new institutional overlay status.
The overlay is a feature of Metro's revised zoning ordinance, and allows institutions like Lipscomb to formally codify plans for future university growth and expansion, said Phil Ellenburg, general counsel for Lipscomb University.