UTD administration, faculty and members of the student body attended the groundbreaking commemoration of the new Science Building.

The new structure will be located in between the Science Learning Center and the Physics Building. Calvin Jamison, vice president of Administration, said it will host the Department of Physics and the Center for Space Science because they are two complementary fields.

“This exciting new science building will address much-needed space for primarily physics and spaces sciences, while adding to the inventory of critical classroom space needed for our growing campus population,” Jamison said in an email interview with The Mercury. “Architecturally, it complements the almost 4 million square feet, and $1.5 billion in development added to the campus over the last decade.”

With its 186,375 square footage and an investment of $100 million, the Science Building will house five stories and resources such as classrooms, research spaces and collaborative and study spaces for the growing number of mathematics, physics and UTeach program students. It will also include a grab-and-go food location, a lecture hall with 300 seats, another hall with 150 seats and a courtyard outside.

The building will accommodate 1,750 students, 50 tenured and tenure-track faculty members and 20 senior lecturers and receive a research funding of $7.5 million per year. According to the Office of Facilities Planning and Construction executive summary, the plan is to complete the project by May 2020.