Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Towson University Announces New Science Building

  • 11/27/17

Towson University in Towson, MD, will begin construction next summer on a $184 million building to serve its growing student body, which is enrolling in more math, engineering and science courses.

With $161 million coming from the state through 2020, it’s one of the largest higher education construction projects earmarked in Governor Larry Hogan’s FY 2017 budget. When completed in 2020, the new 316,000-square-foot structure will be between the performance venue Stephens Hall and the aging, existing 52-year-old science building at 7800 York Road, Smith Hall.

Towson University

Smith Hall lacks adequate lab and classroom space to accommodate students studying science, technology, engineering and math. When Smith Hall was built in 1964, the university had 3,537 students. Today it has 3,800 graduate and undergraduate students majoring in STEM fields alone. Its total student body population is growing as well. Towson expects to have 25,000 on-campus students by 2029, compared with 20,000 today, and requires that each student takes two science courses, regardless of major.

The university hopes that by adding 100,000 square feet, it will speed up the time it takes students to complete their degrees. The university will contribute $21 million of its own cash and start a capital campaign to raise donations and naming rights to the building.

The university plans to renovate Smith Hall to use as general classrooms and academic offices. The science building will have outdoor classrooms adjacent to Glen Arboretum, offering hands-on learning for environmental science and biology students.

It will also contain a greenhouse and a planetarium with a telescope mounted on the roof. The project was initially expected to be completed in 2019, but it was deferred for a year as the state looked to reduce its debt.

Featured

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.