Baylor Sciences Building - Fact Sheet
Construction is expected to begin in June with completion slated for fall 2004.
The four-story, 500,000-square-foot facility will be the largest academic center on campus, four times the size of the new Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center (128,000 square feet) and almost eight times the size of the 64,000-square-foot George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
Construction cost is $103 million. The architect is HarleyEllis of Detroit. General contractor is the BECK Group of Dallas.
The new facility's three research wings will house:
the life sciences (biology and neuroscience);
the physical sciences (physics, chemistry and geology);
and five multidisciplinary research/education centers on prehealth education, molecular biosciences, drug discovery, reservoir and water studies, and scientific analysis and computing.
The design approved by the Baylor Board of Regents in February 2002 includes:
Three wings that will span out toward University Parks Drive. The front of the building will face the McLane Student Life Center.
Modular design to maximize flexibility. All utilities come from a 3-foot space above the ceiling and are not built into the walls so that classrooms and labs can be enlarged or reduced as needed.
A 300-seat auditorium and a variety of classroom sizes, from 150 seats to numerous smaller, 12-person classrooms.
Four-story atrium designed to promote student interaction.
Combination of Georgian and Victorian architecture to complement existing campus buildings.
Two towers, reminiscent of the towers of Old Main and Burleson, at each corner of the building's front, featuring student lounges and small conference rooms.
Four usable stories and a fifth floor under a sloped roof that will house mechanical equipment and other research support space.
Additional statistics about Baylor's emphasis and impact on the sciences and the medical professions:
In the last 25 years, Baylor has sent more than 2,000 graduates to medical and dental schools.
Approximately 17 percent of Baylor undergraduates - more than 2,000 each year - major in one of the sciences.
The number of prehealth majors at Baylor has grown 15 percent in the last 10 years.
Among first-year students, 27 percent enroll in Baylor's prehealth program.
Baylor's acceptance rate to medical schools is 60 percent over a 10-15 year average and is 10-20 percent higher than the national average.