Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory Facility
Capital Project Management page
The University of Minnesota is seeking $65.6 million in state capital bonding funds from the Minnesota Legislature for a new chemistry undergraduate teaching laboratory facility. The state bonding funds will be used to transform Fraser Hall into an academic hub for undergraduate chemistry. The total cost of the project is $98.4 million with the rest of the funding, $32.8 million, coming from the University of Minnesota.
The Minnesota legislature passed an infrastructure bill on May 22nd that includes $92.6M for the renovation of Fraser Hall. The bill now moves to the desk of Governer Walz and is expected to be signed soon. If all goes smoothly, the new building will be ready to teach in by Fall 2025!
University of Minnesota undergraduate student Mustafa Syed testified in front of the Minnesota House and Senate Capital Investment committees in St. Paul in late January. Syed is an undergraduate senior, testifying in support of the Department of Chemistry’s proposed Undergraduate Chemistry Teaching Laboratory Building. Read more about Mustafa's testimony or watch the recording on YouTube.
The Chemistry Teaching Laboratory Building is nearing the end of the schematic design phase, where fundamental decisions are made regarding the labs and support space. The Bonding Bill, approved by the State Legislature in October 2020, included $3.286 million for the project. It funds the last two planning phases, design development and construction drawings, to be completed by late spring 2021. This will enable the project to be shovel ready as soon as full construction funding is secured in a future state bonding bill.
The proposed Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories will replace, improve, and consolidate outdated general and organic chemistry teaching laboratories and support spaces, currently in Smith and Kolthoff Halls, to Fraser Hall on the East Bank campus.
The project will remove circa-1954 building additions, renovate the remaining existing 1928 Fraser Hall, and construct a new addition with penthouse. The total project includes renovation of approximately 30,370 GSF and 91,350 GSF new construction, for a total project area of 121,720 GSF:
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development projects significant continued growth in employment in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related fields, and chemistry and chemistry-related are in-demand for many occupations in the state. The chemistry laboratory project will help address that demand.
Hands-on laboratory courses build skills in a number of areas that are highly valued in the marketplace today such as research, critical thinking and writing, and collaborative problem solving. Equipping students with skills required to maintain and advance Minnesota’s science, technology-based economies is important to Minnesota’s industry leaders such as 3M, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Cargill, Ecolab, General Mills, Pillsbury, Land-O-Lakes, Pace Analytical, and Valspar, and to science and technology entrepreneurs, scientists engaged with patent law, and high school science teachers.