By Nick Stern, Senior Reporter
Main Campus’ L Building is looking at major renovations that are meant to create a cutting-edge place of learning for students, Director of Communications and Media Relations Director, Brad Moore said.
The renovation is a huge project and is planned to create better learning opportunities for everyone, especially science students and instructors, by creating a bigger and better learning environment, he said.
“This is an exciting project because it is going to greatly enhance the teaching and learning experience for faculty and students in the science fields,” Moore said.
All of the science labs that are currently located in the L Building are intended to be improved by adding new “state-of-the-art technology” in order to create the best learning environment for students, he said. The building houses an array of different labs in diverse scientific fields like chemistry, biology, geology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, geography, physics, and astronomy, which will all be updated with the newest technology, he said.
There is also a plan to implement more biology and chemistry labs in order to be on par with the high demand of those particular classes, Moore said.
Moore said that New Mexico is actually in need of an increasing number of careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, which makes the future of the L building important to the students and the community as a whole, he said.
“Our state’s economy is also in serious need of many more college graduates in the STEM fields. CNM is doing its best to produce more STEM graduates and this L Building renovation is an important step in supporting those efforts,” Moore said.
The building is not only meant to be an amazing place for anyone in the science fields, but the plans also include areas meant for any and all students to hang out and study, or just rest between classes, he said.
These areas for students would be a first in and around the L Building along with new solar panels intended to be mounted outside and will serve as a means to make hot water and will include information on energy used, Moore said.
“The building has not had areas where students can meet or study together. Once the building is renovated, it will have ‘agility’ spaces where students can meet, study or relax. These areas will be decorated with scientific displays and artwork of science topics,” he said.
The L Building is considered to be the main laboratory building for the sciences on Main campus and the CNM community is very enthusiastic about the fact that it is being improved upon and will ultimately serve as a way to improve how teachers can teach and how students can learn, Moore said.
“CNM is very excited to be upgrading the primary science laboratory building on Main Campus. This renovation is going to provide faculty and students with an exceptional teaching and learning environment. This building is going to generate more excitement and interest beyond the sciences at CNM,” Moore said.
The building has already been vacated and is currently being prepared for demolition, Moore said.
The renovation was designed by SMPC Architects and Flintco, LLC is the general contractor of the project which will see the building increased from 33,000 square feet to 43,000 square feet, Moore said.
The budget for the project is estimated at $15 million, and will be planned to have the building reopened to the community in the 2015 fall term, Moore said.
Big plans for L Building Renovations
