Science Annex II building to begin construction
By Alexandra Morris
Construction on Coastal Carolina University’s new Science Annex II is estimated to begin at the end of July. The 71,000-square-foot project is an addition to a planned joining of the three science buildings. The building will sit on what is now the faculty and staff parking lot across from the Swain Science Center and adjacent to the Smith Science Center.
“Students will no longer need to cross U.S. 501,” says Eddie Richardson, project manager.
The Annex II is a necessary facility to centralize the science department. It will accommodate marine science, biology, chemistry and teaching spaces, and is predominantly reserved for the environmental sciences. This means the rooms on each floor will be specialized to accommodate biotic specimens, chemicals and ecological samples for the department. It will feature 18 teaching and research labs, 12 classrooms, 10 lab preparatory rooms, two graduate student rooms, a seminar room, a large conference room, an animal facility, four information technology service rooms, one aquarium, a roof terrace, two freezer rooms, 60 faculty offices, three chemical storage rooms, six nonhazardous storage rooms and an outdoor covered support space.
On each floor of Annex II, the floors and walls will artistically depict the areas of study. One of the floors will have a shimmering fabric that will flutter with the air conditioning to channel an oceanic environment. The biology floor may showcase some DNA molecules. A courtyard with a proposed botany center will occupy the center area of the three buildings.
Richardson says the plans are currently being reviewed by the state engineer, and a bid date for mid-June is expected. The construction contract will be established 30 days after bid.
Project completion is estimated for March 2016. The $30 million project will also include some renovations to the Smith Building, such as complete replacement of the electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and ITS communications, along with roof renovations. Inside, a new fire suppression system will be installed. Finally, doors, brick and windows will be replaced. The Smith building will house the “dry sciences" such as mathematics, computer science and physics.
College of Science Dean Michael Roberts says one of the biggest reasons for the new building is the expanding science program, “Since I’ve arrived here in 2007, it has grown from about 1,800 students to just under 4,000 students.”
But the new facilities will also help expand faculty and student collaboration. “That’s why each building won’t be exclusive to one field,” says Roberts. “Everyone will be working on similar issues but in different departments.”
The new facilities are even striking awe in prospective students. “They walk into the Swain building during tours and are impressed,” says Roberts. “Instead of buildings going down, they’re going up.”
