NEW CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION PROJECTS TO ENHANCE CITY CAMPUS FACILITIES

The transformation of Nebraska’s engineering facilities has begun with the $75 million Phase 1 project. 

In August 2018, the Nebraska Board of Regents approved the college’s $75 million Phase 1 facilities project that will tear down and rebuild the Link and renovate a majority of Scott Engineering Center. 

This is the first of three planned phases of facilities investments in the College of Engineering. Phase II is construction of a new engineering building on the northeast corner of 17th and Vine Streets on City Campus. The estimated cost of the new building is $85 million, funded entirely from private donations. Phase III will add additional facilities to the Peter Kiewit Institute on the Scott Campus in Omaha. 

The College of Engineering will begin demolition of the Link at the conclusion of the 2019 spring semester. The Link is a 34-year-old, 25,300 square foot facility that houses offices for civil engineering and electrical and computer engineering. The building connects Scott Engineering Center to Nebraska Hall and after its demolition, a new building will be constructed in the current location. 

Renovations to Scott Engineering Center, which was completed in 1971, will also begin in 2019. Once complete, the three-year project will provide much-needed updates to these facilities and support faculty research, enable 21st century graduate education, and house state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching labs. 

“The Phase I project will transform our research enterprise and significantly enhance the undergraduate and graduate student experience” said Lance C. Pérez, dean of the college. “Upgraded facilities are essential to recruiting and retaining students and faculty, and will enable the college to better accomplish our missions in education, research and outreach.” 

The total cost of Phase I is $75,465,000. Because the college directly impacts Nebraska’s economy and educates the workforce of the future, the state of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska have allocated $70 million to fund the Phase I project. The remaining $5,465,000 for the project is privately funded. 

The design team for Phase I is RDG, HOK and Alvine Engineering, while Hausmann Construction will oversee construction. You can monitor the progress of Phase I on the College of Engineering’s Construction Central website: engineering.unl.edu/construction-central. The estimated completion date for Phase I is fall 2022.