New construction underway at UNC System campuses, with more buildings in the works
The campuses of several UNC System schools will be changing over the next few years, with several new academic buildings taking shape or being renovated.
The majority of the projects are paid for by the State Capital Infrastructure Fund, which is funding from the state budget written each year by the General Assembly.
Lawmakers return to Raleigh for a new legislative session on April 24, but some committees are meeting now, and one of them got a project update Wednesday from the UNC System Office.
Here’s the status of the projects already under construction and those in the works.
UNC-Chapel Hill
▪ UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is getting an addition. The project will allow UNC to increase the number of students and is already underway. Costing $194 million, it is paid for half by the state budget and half from UNC. It is expected to be finished in 2025.
▪ Another project is a new Nursing Education Building that will replace the west wing of Carrington Hall. Already under construction, the project will allow the program to increase the number of students and will cost nearly $98 million, most of which is paid from the legislature’s State Capital Infrastructure Fund.
ECU
▪ The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville will be under construction by early next year, according to the UNC System.
The medical education building will be nearly 200,000 square feet and have space for 120 students in classes each year. The budget is $265 million and entirely funded by the legislature’s State Capital Infrastructure Fund. The project should take about two years to complete once construction starts in February.
NC State
▪ A major project already underway on the NC State University campus in Raleigh is the Integrative Sciences Building, a new STEM building for teaching and research. It is already under construction and has a livestream of the work.
It will cost $187 million, with about half each funded by the state and the university.
▪ Renovations are set to begin this summer on Dabney Hall at NC State. The renovations will cost $140 million and are funded by the State Capital Infrastructure Fund as well as the university. The work will be done in phases, floor by floor, and include upgrades to the chemistry lab, according to the UNC System.
UNC-Greensboro
▪ The Jackson Library and Tower will both be renovated at UNC-Greensboro. The renovations are aimed at making the buildings up-to-date and more accessible. With a cost of about $98 million, it is still in development.
UNC-Pembroke
▪ A new Health Sciences Center is planned for UNC-Pembroke. Still in the planning phase, the new building will house the university’s Advanced Practice of Optometry, Occupational-Physical Therapy, Anatomy, Behavioral Health and Nutrition programs. It is estimated to cost $91 million and is entirely funded by the State Capital Infrastructure Fund.
UNC School of the Arts
▪ At UNC School of the Arts, the Stevens Performing Arts Center will be renovated at a cost of nearly $81 million. Renovations include replacing the windows and renovating the lobby and basement, according to the UNC System.
What’s next
This year’s legislative session will be used to pass a budget adjustment bill, making changes to the two-year spending plan that was passed last year. UNC System officials told lawmakers on Wednesday that they will ask for increases in capital project funds because of inflation, as well as more funding for campus safety upgrades and infrastructure upgrades at multiple HBCU campuses.
