Fences covered with tarp were put up three weeks ago to prepare for construction of the new Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies building on the Edinburg campus.
The Physical Science West building will be demolished to make way for the new building.
“The fencing that has been installed around the existing Physical Science West building and part of the Quad defines the construction perimeter for the new building because the contractor needs space to stage/store materials all around the site,” said Marta Salinas-Hovar, UTRGV associate vice president of Facilities Planning and Operations. “Additionally, the contractor will begin the temporary sidewalk between the library and the Student Union this Friday, Feb. 10.”
Construction is expected to start March 30 and end Jan. 9, 2019. The cost of the project is $35.6 million, of which $30.6 million is funded by Tuition Revenue Bonds and $5 million by the Permanent University Fund.
According to the project fact sheet, an interdisciplinary space of about 53,398 gross square footage is necessary on the Edinburg campus to support the enrollment growth. The new building will be a three-story facility with the same master plan consistent with the campus brick and vernacular inspired by the architecture of Louis Khan. The new building will include six engineering teaching labs, two discipline-specific computer labs, eight 60-seat general classrooms, offices and support spaces.
Although the new building is mainly for engineering students, the facility will also address flexible space requirements for other disciplines.
“The new building will house a number of our departments,” said Alexander Domijan, UTRGV dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “The specific departments have not been determined yet. But the building will have a great impact on our ability to expand on most of our department. I don’t expect every program to be housed in the new building because we have three buildings on this campus and so some of them will be housed in one building and some will be housed maybe in multiple buildings because we’re moving possibly towards the strategy of mixing different disciplines together, and that promotes more collaborative environments.”
According to Domijan, the location of the new Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies building is ideal because it is relatively close to the main engineering building. A couple of innovative academic efforts are still being planned but Domijan can already envision the expansion of efforts in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering.
Expansion of the engineering department at UTRGV is key to the economic development of the Valley.
“We want to be in everybody’s backyard and really have an explosive growth on it because we’re a key to basically increasing economic development opportunities in the Valley,” Domijan said. “Our engineers don’t have to seek employment outside the Valley [anymore].”
As for university events and fundraising that will happen during the year and a half of construction, other areas of campus will be available.
“There are more than 20 locations in Edinburg that are designated for fundraising,” said Delma Olivarez, interim associate dean of Student Life. “There are two areas near the Ballroom, two near the business building, and so I feel pretty confident that student organizations will have a lot of other opportunities. I know the library tends to be one of the most high-traffic areas for fundraising.”
Locations such as the Chapel lawn and the lobby in the ELABS building are just a couple of places that are available for events.
