UConn Makes Progress on Master Plan

September 2, 2015 2016 Views Eastern U.S., LEED for Existing Buildings, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pennsylvania State Correctional Officers Association, residential re-entry, Sonoma County, writeable walls, WXY Architecture + Urban Design

STORRS, Conn. — Several construction projects are underway this year as part of the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) strategic Master Plan. UCONN 2000, 21st Century UConn and the new 10-year, $1.5 billion initiative, Next Generation Connecticut, are all helping transform the state’s flagship public university. Here’s a roundup of several major projects under construction in accordance to the plan.

A new 212,000-square-foot STEM Residence Hall will house hundreds of STEM Scholars who are members of the science, technology, engineering and math community within UConn’s undergraduate Honors Program. Construction on the $105 million facility began in November 2014 and will continue through fall 2016.

Construction on a 115,000-square-foot, high-performance building and laboratory for interdisciplinary research began in June 2015, with completion scheduled for summer 2017. The $95 million facility will accommodate student and faculty growth in fields such as bio-nano engineering and cyber-physical systems engineering.

Work began on another 115,000-square-foot facility in June 2015 as the first phase of UConn’s expansive Technology Park. The Innovation Partnership Building will house various specialized instruments, and allow UConn researchers to easily partner with professional scientists on technologies such as 3D printing and cyber security.

Major renovations to the university’s Monteith Building and Putnam Refectory will begin in September, with completion in summer 2016. The Monteith Building is undergoing a 73,000-square-foot renovation that will create a new home for the Department of Math. The $25 million upgrade will also provide flexible space for other academic programs currently housed in buildings that have yet to be renovated.

The 42,000-square-foot Putnam Refectory dining hall will undergo a $23 million renovation that will improve and increase its seating capacity and self-service buffet areas. This upgrade will provide space for new students housed in the STEM Residence Hall nearby. The project is also slated for completion in summer 2016.