Interior Design Services, a small two-person team in Facilities Management, helps shape nearly every space at the University of Kentucky. From bustling student lounges to dynamic classrooms and functional office spaces, all campus furniture is curated by Shareese Malone, university interior designer, KYCID, and Sarah Baker, interior designer project managersenior, NCIDQ, AUID.
“The Keeping Space,” a 15-minute documentary that shines a light on the often-unseen work by University of Kentucky custodian Shelia Lackey, will be featured 6 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at Lexington’s Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center. Documentary co-directors Jena Seiler, Ph.D., Lewis Honors College lecturer, and Nicole Martin, former honors college director of academic affairs, will be at the screening and participating in the discussion.
Since the University of Kentucky was founded in 1865, our campus landscape has been an important part of who we are and how our community engages with the campus. This year, UK received its 15th consecutive Tree Campus Higher Education recognition in honor of high levels of attention in the care of our campus canopy.
When guests walk through the front doors of the Peterson Service Building, they encounter double glass doors showcasing a frosted vinyl campus map and, moments later, many step inside to ask the Facilities Information Services (FIS) department for directions. But their job encompasses so much more. This team of four full-time staff members and several student interns are busy behind the scenes creating interactive campus maps and supporting several Facilities Management (FM) operations across campus.
University of Kentucky Recycling, UK Dining and The Food Connection are partnering to host a competition for undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The winner will be commissioned to create a portable art installation showcasing the lifecycle of UK’s local food sourcing efforts and on-campus composting system.
Anna Quarles, a product design senior in the College of Design, prioritized sustainability in her final Soft Spaces class project last semester. With the help of Erin Geibel, recycling coordinator in Facilities Management, she transformed old t-shirts, blue wrap and grocery bags into a unique piece of children's furniture.
The University of Kentucky has earned a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
Anthony Casias arrives at Pavilion A in the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. most mornings. As a Facilities Maintenance Supervisor in Facilities Management, once he walks through the doors to the hospital, he doesn’t stop moving. Overseeing the basement through the 4th floor as well as floors 14-17 in Pavilion A, Casias and his team maintain areas that include mechanical, radiology, operating and emergency rooms, the kitchen and pharmacy.
At the University of Kentucky, a commitment to innovation and efficiency is driving cost avoidance and conservation of natural resources in facilities across the campus and the Commonwealth. Three buildings on the UK HealthCare campus in Lexington, profiled below, offer recent highlights of this commitment to combine on-the-ground problem solving, emerging technology and collaboration to reduce energy consumption without compromising the high standards of care, comfort and reliability healthcare environments demand.
Last week brought Lexington its first dose of winter weather. Through it all, the UK Grounds team in Facilities Management demonstrated skill, stamina and a commitment to keeping campus safe and operational. Winter weather response begins before snow or ice ever hits the ground.