UTEP Celebrates Construction Milestone for New Academic Building

The University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas, recently held a “topping out” ceremony for its new learning complex, Texas Western Hall, according to university news. The construction milestone marks the placement of the last beam of a structure in progress. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction on the project, which broke ground in late 2023 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2026.

The complex comes with a price tag of a $110 million, and it will cover 124,725 square feet. Amenities will include almost 30 classrooms, multiple large auditoriums, 23 collaboration spaces, a rooftop terrace, and a café, university news reports.

“Working together, the UTEP, Ayers Saint Gross and Sundt teams have created a beautiful building that reflects both the tradition of Bhutanese architecture at UTEP and the need for a 21st century learning environment,” said Sundt’s vice president and El Paso regional director, Joseph Riccillo. “I’m thankful to celebrate this milestone with our partners and everyone who has worked on Texas Western Hall and I look forward to the day very soon when we can officially open it for use.”

Funding for the project came from the Texas legislature and permanent funds from The University of Texas System Board of Regents. University news reports that after construction is complete, the adjacent Liberal Arts building will be demolished to restore the arroyo beneath it.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.