WT Announces Construction to Begin on Refresh of Natural Sciences Building

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M University announced the beginning of a new, multimillion-dollar renovation to the Natural Sciences Building. 

Said the University, the 3.5 million project will begin on Feb. 9, 2021, and intends to upgrade teaching laboratories and research spaces for geology, biology and environmental science programs in the Life, Earth and Environmental Science Department. A collaborative teaching classroom for chemistry and biology majors also will be built. 

The University has Parkhill as the architectural design team for the project; the general contractor is Page and Associates. 

“These changes are overdue and will transform the existing facilities into state-of-the-art spaces that will provide our students with the background they need to go out into the workforce,” said Dr. Kevin Pond, dean of the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. “Not only will we provide a better education for our existing student population, but we also will be able to better attract future students for the program.” 

The University said that the project will also address several infrastructure needs, including upgrades to electrical, HVAC, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems, as well as the installation of a backup generator system, said Stan Pena, assistant vice president for facilities. 

“We’ll be working on this in various stages so that in-person classes and lab work can continue,” Pena said.