Updates on New Science Building, Integrative Arts Lab Construction

Despite the completion of a major project like the renovation of the Frank Center for Public Affairs, there is still work to be done on Wesleyan’s campus. Physical Plant, the team responsible for operations and maintenance of Wesleyan buildings and grounds, continues to make significant progress on many of the projects that will allow for deeper student learning and experience at Wesleyan.

Alan Rubacha, associate vice president of facilities, said all projects are on schedule and on budget. Here are the latest updates on Wesleyan’s ongoing major construction projects:

New Science Building

The 197,000-square-foot New Science Building is set to be completed in Spring 2026 and it will be ready for use in Fall 2026, Rubacha said. It will be home to 39 research and support labs, nine teaching labs, seven classrooms, a vivarium, a greenhouse, faculty and department offices, and conference spaces.

Since last fall, two key benchmarks—the full installation of the roof and all concrete floors—were completed and progress has been made in several other areas, Rubacha said. The double-skin glass façade on the west side of the building is finished. The facade will help reduce the energy cost of heating and cooling the building, which will ultimately require only a quarter of the energy consumed annually at Hall-Atwater. Sixty percent of the overall frame of the building, 20 percent of the exterior German limestone, and 15 percent of the mechanical piping has been put in place, he said.

At this stage, workers will begin installing interior sheetrock and windows within the building, Rubacha said. Once this project is complete, Physical Plant will begin the demolition of Hall-Atwater and will renovate Shanklin to improve its accessibility and revitalize the space.

A diverse workforce is helping to build the New Science Building: 67 percent is a part of a union, 50 percent are from within a 25-mile radius of campus, and 30 percent are people of color, he said.

Integrative Arts Lab at 56 Hamlin Street

The construction of multi-disciplinary art spaces at 56 Hamlin Street, which will comprise the Integrative Arts Lab, is well on its way. This 17,500 square-foot project will give students the opportunity to connect visual, performing, and studio arts together through its lab spaces and common areas. The building will also offer students space for artistic collaboration and conversation across disciplines.

The north building was demolished in January and a new iteration of it has been framed with modern building materials. The north wing of the building has been framed and sheathed, and the team has begun installing masonry bricks. The south wing demolition is complete, and the interior walls and windows of the wing are coming soon, Rubacha said. The black box theater space has also been framed and is under construction.

Student Housing

Wesleyan continues to improve its stock of student housing, Rubacha said. This summer, Physical Plant renovated 267 Court Street and 330 High Street, which are both open for the fall semester.

The 11-bedroom home at 267 Court Street has been converted into program housing for Lotus House—a housing unit for students interested in studying or practicing Buddhism. The house has a new kitchen and multiple informal program spaces. The heating and cooling system is fossil-fuel free and high-efficiency.

The building located at 330 High Street was converted from an office to an eight-bedroom program house.

Hot Water Conversion and Major Maintenance

This summer Physical Plant has been busy in its sixth phase of the decade-long campus conversion from steam heating to hot water heating and cooling. Phase six includes the heating conversions of first-year housing in Clark Hall and Bennet Hall, as well as Foss Hill. Drainage improvements along the base of Foss Hill were also installed. Physical Plant also began testing to see if it is viable to include geothermal heating—a method of heating and cooling that uses the earth’s relatively constant underground temperature as a heat source—within this conversion, Rubacha said.

This phase will be complete in October and at that point approximately 60 percent of campus will be converted to hot water heating. Heating is the bulk of the University’s carbon-emissions and significant energy savings are expected once the conversion is complete.

Physical Plant is also working on improvements to the drainage system within the Center for the Arts, he said. Around 500 feet of drainage pipes, manholes, and catch basins are set to be installed to address long-term flooding issues in the area.

“We need to be fiduciaries of the University and be sure that the campus is maintained,” Rubacha said.