While higher education continues to struggle with budget cuts, donations from various organizations continue to allow for the beginning of new construction projects throughout the University, project managers said.

University project manager Jim Shackelford said six construction companies are handling the University’s 10 in-progress construction projects. New buildings underway include the computer science complex, the liberal arts building, the Belo Center for New Media, finishing touches to the Norman Hackerman Building and a new research building at the Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.

Construction projects are also improving parts of the Jackson School of Geosciences building, Welch Hall, Clark Field, the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the Texas Union.

Shackelford said the University advertises prospective building projects to qualified construction managers and awards contracts to the company with the best value at the time.

Renovations to the geology building will be complete next summer and renovations to Welch Hall will be finished next spring.

“In the geology building we are making changes to the second floor,” Shackelford said. “At Welch we are completely renovating the laboratories and office space. We are replacing the air handling systems and all electrical and plumbing systems.”

Shackelford said two projects are currently in design. One is a new facility at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus set to begin this fall and be complete by summer of 2012. The other is a new engineering education research center for the main campus set to begin summer of 2012 and be complete by 2015.

Steve Lanoux, assistant director for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, said the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new research building will be held July 23.

Lanoux said the 36,000 square foot building was built using $6 million from federal funds and a partial match of that money from the University. He said the school is still searching for donations to finish paying off building costs, although he couldn’t say how much money they still need.

“We are one of 28 natural reserves around the country, so it is important that we have a facility to host visiting scientists,” Lanoux said. “All of the laboratories have balanced environmental systems with capabilities to create any environment by adjusting pressure and humidity and can also be completely blacked out for photo analysis.”

Lanoux said the federal funds were donated to build a headquarters for the reserve that also provides coastal and geographical information system training programs along with research.

Bruce Porter, professor and chairman of the Department of Computer Sciences, said the new Computer Science Complex was built to house the entire Department of Computer Sciences in one building as opposed to in six separate buildings as it is now.

He said the building of the new complex was made possible by donations from the University, the UT System, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. He said the 234,000-square-foot building will cost around $120 million to complete and is slightly ahead of schedule for completion in fall 2012.

“The complex will have approximately 140,000 indoor assignable square feet, enough space for sixty faculty and 350 grad students and lots of undergrad facilities,” Porter said. “The new space is designed to be easily upgraded and to give us the functionality we need for many years to come.”

Construction engineer Mayur Sethi said the new liberal arts building will cover 200,000 square feet when completed. He said the project will cost $60 million, and the building will be usable by Dec. 17, 2012.

Printed on 06/27/2011 as: Campus construction continues with help various donors