Spaulding Hall was built in 1960. Except for a partial renovation almost 40 years later, nothing has been done to the science building since then — making the in-progress renovations and planned expansion a definite list-topper for the university, which it has been for several years now.
And it’s not just an aging thing; interest in STEM education has surged across the country, creating a greater need for the university to help meet New Hampshire’s demand for highly skilled STEM graduates. The renovation and expansion will create additional biological and neuroscience teaching and research labs and instruction space to allow for increased enrollment.
The project includes a 50,000-square-foot addition and a full renovation of the 83,000 square feet that make up the existing Spaulding Hall. New labs will be designed to better address contemporary teaching methods and provide greater flexibility for new research areas that in turn will provide experiential learning opportunities for students. Major building system replacements will be addressed as well.
Site work for the $86 million project was done during the summer and phase 1 — the addition — is expected to be completed in June 2021. The renovation of the existing building (phase 2) is set to begin in the summer of 2021 and wrap up in January 2023. UNH and the university system have funded $51 million of the project, including $9 million in philanthropic support, with the remaining $35 million anticipated to come from the state during the next two years.
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Written By:
Jody Record ’95 | Communications and Public Affairs | jody.record@unh.edu
