Construction fencing will be placed this week around the Kracke and Pittman buildings in preparation for their demolition. The buildings are being razed to make way for the Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building. The fencing will block pedestrian access on the north side of 7th Avenue South between 19th and 20th streets south. All lanes of traffic on 7th Avenue South will remain open.

Pedestrian access to the north side of 7th Avenue South will be restricted for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in June 2024.

“We understand this is a busy hub of our campus, but we do want to encourage all pedestrians to cross at the official crosswalks,” said Denton Lunceford, assistant vice president of Facilities’ Planning Design & Construction. “It’s also incredibly important not to walk along the construction fence in the street. We have observed this in previous projects, and it’s not safe.”

The fence will also block access to the limited street parking and small parking lot in front of Kracke. Those who are permitted to park in the lot have been notified and provided alternative parking options.

The building was announced in December 2020, with funding from the state, county and philanthropy. The project will renovate the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building to encompass 145,000 square feet of new computational research, research support, office, administrative and scientific collaboration and meeting spaces.

The Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building is a major project in the School of Medicine’s long-range plan to enhance research in genomic medicine and computational biology. The building is central to the overall complex of interconnected research and support facilities located at UAB’s hub of basic and translational research enterprise. Along with McCallum, which is now in Phase II of a three-phase comprehensive renovation, the building will enable UAB to become one of the most collaborative research facilities in the nation.