Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

STEAM Center Construction at University of St. Thomas Underway

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/28/22

At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., construction is underway on a new centralized home for STEAM education. The Schoenecker Center will stand five stories and cover more than 130,000 square feet to integrate the school’s art, science, engineering and innovation programs, according to the university website. Design-build contractor McGough broke ground on the project in May, and construction is scheduled for completion during the spring semester of 2024.

The new facility will include amenities like a high bay for engineering, an emerging media newsroom and classrooms, science labs and offices, an art gallery, rehearsal and performance space for choral and instrumental groups, flex space for collaboration and group work, and a café with a community area.

The $110-million complex was named in honor of donors Guy and Barbara Schoenecker and aims to offer an inclusive approach to interdisciplinary education, according to a university news release. “This building is actually not about contradictions, but an ideal,” said Dean Don Weinkauf of the School of Engineering. “Forward-thinking students thrive at St. Thomas because they come with something more. They come with what I would call an ‘and’ spirit. Great at mathematics and athletics. Great at playing music and designing bridges.”

According to a November 2021 news story announcing the project, the building will house three distinct academic areas: Arts, Engineering and Sciences. It will also play home to the university Center for Artificial Intelligence, the Center for Data Science and the Center for Water Justice. It will also provide space to local K–12 schools and community groups for meetings and performances.

“What research is telling us, what our industry partners are telling us, is that they need graduates who have broad knowledge, who are flexible thinkers and who are used to working with different fields and different ideas,” said University President Julie Sullivan. “That’s exactly what you will see when you step through the doors of the Schoenecker Center.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.