Building a Bigger and Better Science Building Complex at SIUE Continues
As the New Year begins, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville continues its ongoing commitment to campus growth with its renovation of the Science Lab (SL) Building Complex that is part of a more than $300 million construction and infrastructure improvement plan that began in 2006.
The renovation project on the original Science Building (SL) Complex officially resumed Nov. 3, 2016, and the project is expected to be completed in approximately 16 months.
The remodeled SL buildings will contain the offices and workspaces of the Department of Physics, the Department of 
Mathematics and Statistics, and the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Research, Education and Outreach Center, according to Bill Retzlaff, PhD, and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) associate dean.
“In addition, the teaching laboratories, teaching classrooms, research laboratories, and supporting spaces for these three units will be in the buildings,” Retzlaff said. “Further, two classrooms will be constructed in the A-Building and assigned to the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, respectively.”
“The project will also include two renovated and expanded auditoriums,” said Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker. “On the outside of the building, there will be exterior bracing that will add to the seismic stability of the building.”
In noting that the old will have to give way for the new, Walker detailed the following: “The work will include the demolition of the old wet labs and provide new classrooms, research and teaching labs and offices for the Department of Physics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the STEM Center.”
“In CAS, both the Department of Physics and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics have been displaced from SL for the renovation,” said Retzlaff. “In addition, the STEM Center in the Graduate School has also been relocated.
“At the end of the renovation, the two science buildings (SL West and SL) will contain safe, state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. These facilities enhance the opportunities for cutting edge teaching and research by faculty, and also provide opportunities for more student engagement in experiential learning.”
While the renovation project will take some time, both Retzlaff and Walker promise it will be worth the wait.
“This will be another excellent academic facility that we’ve been waiting for,” Walker said. “This will be the capstone project to more than $310 million worth of improvements to our teaching and research space at SIUE.”
Central to SIUE’s exceptional and comprehensive education, the College of Arts and Sciences has 19 departments and 85 areas of study. More than 300 full-time faculty/instructors deliver classes to more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty help students explore diverse ideas and experiences, while learning to think and live as fulfilled, productive members of the global community. Study abroad, service-learning, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities better prepare SIUE students not only to succeed in our region's workplaces, but also to become valuable leaders who make important contributions to our communities.
Photos:
Seismic tower renderings of the SIUE Science Building from the south and from the east.
