Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Delaware Tops Off Newest Academic Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/24/23

The University of Delaware in Newark, Del., recently celebrated a “topping off” ceremony for its latest academic building—a 131,000-square-foot facility for the College of Arts and Sciences, currently known as “Building X,” according to local news. The Newark Post reports that the state governor, city mayor, and university officials gathered last Thursday to sign the final, ceremonial beam before it was placed in the roof of the four-story structure. The project broke ground in 2022 and is scheduled to open in 2024.

The project comes with an estimated cost of $165 million and will play home to classrooms and research spaces for the biology, psychology, brain sciences, and physics and astronomy departments, local news reports. A university news release from November 2022 called the new facility a “science collider,” intended to serve as an interdisciplinary space and to encourage collaboration between various disciplines.

The building will also feature an outdoor quad featuring gathering spaces, grassy areas, and rain gardens, according to the Newark Post.

“This interdisciplinary science building at the heart of the UD campus will catalyze cutting-edge research in the fields of human disease, developmental disorders, neuroscience and human behavior, and educate more than 1,000 students a year in those critical areas of healthcare need,” said University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis. “In addition, by enhancing collaborative partnerships with the state and beyond, this new facility will be an invaluable asset for our entire community for generations to come.”

The university partnered with HGA Architects for the building’s design and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for its construction. It received $41 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the remainder came from university funds and philanthropic donations.

The university news release also reports that sustainability initiatives will include solar panels, as well as aiming for the City of Newark’s construction standard for sustainability, similar to a LEED Silver certification.

The new facility will replace McKinly Lab, which was damaged by fire in August 2017 and recently demolished to make room for construction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.