Greetings loyal BPA blog audience! We express our sincerest apologies for keeping our faithful readers in the dark about our exciting projects.

One of those is the renovation to UAB’s School of Optometry building. A significant portion of the work has already been completed, with the remaining renovations scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.

We’re proud to continue our relationship with UAB in designing spaces that empower our clients to bring innovation to the communities around us. The School of Optometry continues to distinguish itself as a top-tier program by providing state-of-the-art clinical practice and partaking in groundbreaking discoveries in vision science.

Peruse the project page to read and see more about the 18,600 SF renovation: www.bpa.net/uab-school-of-optometry. And learn more about UAB's School of Optometry at their website: https://www.uab.edu/optometry/home/.

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Recent photo of approach to Bryce Main Building.

For over 150 years, the historic Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa, AL was used by the state’s Department of Mental Health. Over time, the monumental facility was being under-utilized and was in need of extensive repair. By 2014, the patients at the historic Bryce Hospital were moved into a new facility nearby. Subsequently, The University of Alabama acquired the historic Bryce Hospital with plans to adaptively reuse the facility as a welcome center for the university and classroom space for the theater and dance department.

1970s photo of Main Building approach. Photo from National Park Service. — 1970s photo of Main Building approach. *Photo from National Park Service.*

The original Bryce Hospital comprised of a four-story main building and six wings. We were selected as the architect to help the University of Alabama in their pursuit to preserve as much as the original building as possible. During the selective demolition and abatement process, it was determined that much of the historic structure could not be preserved; and, as a result, the two outermost wings were demolished. The remainder of building’s masonry structure will be preserved with a variety of techniques. In some areas, the interior load-bearing walls will be removed and replaced with a steel structure. The exterior masonry walls will be preserved on remaining portions of the historic structure.

The photos below reflect some of the progress made during the selective demolition and abatement process.