second phase of university of new mexico chemistry building renovation soon to start

Work is slated to begin early next summer on the long-anticipated final renovation of the University of New Mexico’s chemistry building, located on the school’s main Albuquerque campus.

The $16 million work on the north portion of the Clark Hall facility should take about a year, with the project expected to wrap in time for the fall 2021 semester.

The design phase of the project is expected to be completed by next May, with work launching the following month.

Altogether, the project will see more than 38,100 square feet of facility space renovated, with classrooms, support spaces, offices, and research laboratories upgraded.

UNM officials have for years maintained that unless the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology could showcase the latest in facility offerings, it would be at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting quality students and faculty.

Those same officials have additionally pointed out that Clark Hall, built in the early 1950s, still had intact the original wiring system from those years.

First phase renovation work on building began in the fall of 2014 and was funded by some $16 million in voter-approved general obligation bonds.

That work included bathroom renovations, bringing those spaces up to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and the upgrading of the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

Clark Hall was designed by well-known New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem and cost $489,000 to build. It was added onto in the mid-1960s.

The second phase renovation work is being funded by additional general obligation bonds passed in the fall of 2018.

By Garry Boulard

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