Martin Zimmerman, 2013 January 3

Martin Zimmerman, former Director of Facilities Planning at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1992-2001, talks about the master planning process that culminated with the Campus Master Plan in 1995. Mr. Zimmerman discusses Chancellor James H. Woodward's leadership style and the reasons why the Master Plan was needed. He notes several fellow members of the Master Planning Task Force and their contributions to the plan. Mr. Zimmerman also discusses the traditional style that Chancellor Woodward wanted for campus buildings and describes how pre-existing buildings were tied to new construction through the use of brick as way to unify the various styles. He relates an anecdote about renovations to the Friday Building, describing how changes to the original plan for the building helped close in space between the Friday, McEniry, and Prospector buildings - effectively creating a new quad where none existed before. In addition to construction, Mr. Zimmerman explains how landscape management also helps in closing in space. Although not a member of the task force that worked on the 2000 revision to the Master Plan, he offers some general insight into why it was needed, noting the new axis that was created between the Student Activity Center and the Student Union. He also talks about the 2010 plan which changed Master Plan implementation from a linear timetable to one fixed on enrollment growth benchmarks. Mr. Zimmerman concludes the interview talking about why he came to UNC Charlotte in 1992, and how the campus has changed since then.