This summer, the Brickyard became host to excavators, fences and a couple hundred fewer bricks as construction of the Integrative Sciences Building — Main Campus’ first new building since 2009 — began.
Set to be completed in late 2026, the building will serve as a hub for the Integrative Sciences Initiative, consolidating scientists from across disciplines to answer big questions. It will include innovative equipment and infrastructure geared toward better preparing STEM students to make an impact in the workforce.
Joshua Pierce, executive director of the Integrative Sciences Initiative and a professor in the chemistry department, said one goal of the initiative is to bring together students and researchers based on the questions they’re interested in answering rather than their field of study.
“The key objective here is to think about education, training and research by bringing together these sort of synergistic teams and not so much worry about what department or college or degree program the students, faculty and staff are involved in,” Pierce said.
Once the building is completed, Pierce said he hopes it will ultimately bring new life to the Brickyard.
“[The building] will re-enliven the Brickyard more broadly … through the bustling hub of activity that will be contained within it,” Pierce said. “I think over the years it’s become a less-traveled part of campus and to really bring that back and maybe to recenter the activity around the Brickyard as this project unfolds in time. In the meantime, it’s gonna be quite a mess.”
Others have lamented the aesthetic shift of the building away from the brick facades dominating main campus in favor of more modern design components common on Centennial Campus.
Some students have mentioned loss of greenspace, difficulty with navigation and construction noise as disruptions since the beginning of the semester.
Riley Moran, a fourth-year studying psychology, took classes on campus over the summer as construction began and said she wished there had been more direct communication from the University to help students plan for and navigate the construction.
“I remember the first time that I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, man, it’s the first day, and I’m already going to be late,’” Moran said. “Personally, maybe [the University] should have made that a little bit more clear, or I think professors should also try and make it a little bit more clear that there’s construction going on, so like, what entrances will be open and stuff like that.”
Cody McKeel, a fourth-year studying agricultural science, said he found the signage surrounding the site helpful but the construction itself inconvenient.
“I like the signs that they laid out down there where it’s telling you how to get to the classes for Cox and Dabney,” McKeel said. “Other than that, I miss being able to cut across the whole Brickyard over there. Noise is a bit annoying. I don’t really know what they’re building, but hopefully it’ll be put to good use.”
Danelle Gambrell, construction project manager for the site, acknowledged the disruptive nature of construction on campus and said while it will require adjustment, she hopes this will be an opportunity for people to learn about how campus grows.
“It will be challenging, but we’ll try to make it as easy as possible,” Gambrell said. “As a university, [change] can sometimes cause a little friction just because people maybe are used to something or not expecting, and it’s just different, but it’s for the better of the overall community. … We’ll do our best to work with students, to ensure students are very aware of what’s going on. And I think everybody will be excited about the end result.”
In an effort towards transparency about the construction process, the University has added signs wrapping around the fencing to provide background on the current construction and future layout of the Brickyard.
“I think we’re going to eventually add some information regarding the history of the Brickyard and what the Brickyard is all about … because we’re obviously taking it up for a few years, and students are gonna miss out on having that full opportunity to have the Brickyard,” said Cameron Smith, assistant vice chancellor for design and construction.
Anyone can keep up with project updates through the construction company Skanska’s project website which offers pedestrian walkway diagrams that will be updated as construction progresses, a livestream of the site, a mock-up gallery of the building and a virtual tour.
The University will continue to hold town hall meetings for community members throughout the construction process. The first town hall meeting of the academic year will be scheduled shortly and information will be added to the project website.
Construction workers prepare the grounds for the new Integrative Sciences Building at the Brickyard on July 31, 2023. The building will replace the temporary greenspace that became a part of the Brickyard after Harrelson Hall was demolished in 2016.
