SOUTHFIELD – Lawrence Technological University reported it has topped the $100 million mark in its capital campaign, and now construction is scheduled to begin in the fall on the first phase of the STEM-focused A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Life Sciences and Architecture Complex.
The 125,000-square-foot project is the top goal of the capital campaign and has an estimated price tag of $55 million. The design architect is Thomas Mayne of California-based Morphosis, and the architect of record is the Detroit-based Albert Kahn Family of Companies.
Construction costs will be approximately $15 million for the first phase, a three-story structure of 34,000 square feet that will be connected to both LTU?s Science Building and Engineering Building at the southeast corner of the campus quad. The new building will provide advanced facilities for robotics engineering, biomedical engineering, life sciences and several related programs, including an office to promote progressive strategies for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics ? the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines.
A new engineering building has been identified as the university?s top priority. The building is designed to create a collaborative learning environment that brings students and faculty closer together and to further promote the interdisciplinary cooperation between LTU?s College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Architecture and Design.
?The new facility will be designed to accommodate such emerging programs as robotics and biomedical engineering that draw upon the expertise of multiple fields of study,? said LTU University Architect Joseph Veryser.
The new building will be named for former LTU student A. Alfred Taubman, shopping mall developer and philanthropist, who donated $1 million to cover planning for the new building and offered a $10 million challenge grant that has now been matched by over $20 million in new pledges for the construction of the building. Taubman studied architecture at Lawrence Tech in the 1940s.
?Lawrence Tech made a big difference in my life, as it has for generations of young people working to build successful careers and fulfilling lives,? Taubman said. ?I encourage all friends of Lawrence Tech to add their contributions to make sure this amazing new facility becomes a reality.?
