The main engineering building will begin renovations over spring break to modernize it and complete deferred maintenance. The project is funded by the CU System after being approved by the Board of Regents.
According to Senior Project Manager Don Wright, renovations include creating a large study space with smaller rooms for group work, two research labs for robotics and instrumentation and a second floor in the east wing for additional research spaces.
The Math Excel Center will also be expanded.
The renovation is scheduled to finish in April 2027, but the timeframe is subject to change based on equipment delivery. Classes are expected to resume in the building the semester following completion.
According to Mark Ferguson, the assistant vice chancellor for campus planning and facilities management, $34.5 million was allocated to general construction, $4.5 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment, $4.2 million for design and consulting services and $3.9 million for contingency planning.
General construction includes deferred maintenance, which accounts for approximately $17 million.
“There’s a state document called SC 4.1, which divides up how that money is spent… about half the money is going to things that are like new HVAC systems, new electrical systems, redoing the roof on the building.” Wright said.
The $47 million budget also includes the renovation of the Kramer Family Library (KFL), which added more classrooms and spaces for students while the engineering building is under construction, according to previous Scribe reporting.
Wright credited the student spaces in the KFL as inspiration for the student spaces in the renovated engineering building and intends to mirror that success.
“We’re trying to mirror the success of the library,” remarked Wright.
The renovation team is using data from student surveys on library furniture to inform furniture choices in the engineering building.
The renovations align with campus goals regarding sustainability, emphasizing energy-efficiency improvements to the HVAC System, new windows and roofing and additional insulation.
Students with questions can contact Wright at [email protected].
An advisory board warning students of the construction. Photo by Anysia Hovel.