Groundbreaking is set for March 31 for a new engineering building at Stephenville’s Tarleton State University.
On Feb. 9, Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents approved the final budget and construction for the building.
Originally referred to as the applied sciences building, the $54-million project will provide laboratory, classroom and administrative space to Tarleton’s Stephenville campus. The building will provide space for many of the programs currently housed in the university’s existing Engineering Technology and Hydrology/Engineering buildings, including the civil engineering, electrical engineering and newly approved mechanical engineering programs.
The new facility is part of Tarleton’s Fiscal Year 2017-2020 Capital Plan approved last fall by the Board of Regents.
“We are extremely grateful to the A&M System Board of Regents for final approval to begin this much needed project,” said Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio. “The new building will bring all of the university’s engineering, engineering technology and computer science programs together under one roof. These programs have experienced exceptional growth in recent years, and this new, up-to-date facility will position them among the best in the state.”
Aside from providing space for new classrooms and labs, the location of the building – between Lillian Avenue and St. Peter Street, north of Washington Street – the engineering building will become the new “front door” of Tarleton, serving as a major gateway to the university and a signature building for the campus.
The building will have heavy-use and high bay labs—with main corridors wide enough to move materials and equipment by forklift—classrooms and offices will be found on the first floor of new three-story facility. Innovative classrooms, a robotics lab, a prototyping lab, a fluids and materials testing lab including a flume and wind tunnel, computer labs and offices will be located on the upper floors.
“This new state-of-the-art facility not only addresses current needs, but also provides space and flexibility to allow for growth well into the future,” said Dr. James Pierce, dean of Tarleton’s College of Science and Technology.
Completion of the new engineering building is scheduled for fall 2018.
Stantec is the architect and BE&K is the general contractor for the project.
www.tarleton.edu/COST.