Alberta government investing $100M to renovate U of A sciences building

The provincial government is investing $100 million to renovate the decades-old Biological Sciences Building at the University of Alberta.

The announcement was made jointly by provincial and university officials at the U of A's Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science on Monday. 

"For more than 50 years, this critical branch of science education has operated out of the Biological Sciences Building, which has become a landmark at the University of Alberta's North Campus," said Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney. 

"But the building has never received any major renovations and is long overdue." 

 According to the province, the building has not had any major upgrades since its construction in 1969.

The funding will include major retrofitting and updating of complex utilities, controlled environments and advanced safety features.

Renovations will take place on levels 4, 5, 10 and 11 within the zoology wing to transform the space into a wet laboratory space.

The building will be renamed the Life Sciences Innovation and Future Technologies Centre — the LIFT Centre.

When construction is complete, it is expected to have 3,200 lab spaces, up from the current 1,600.

The project will add seats and increase capacity, allowing for nearly 2,500 new domestic students to enter undergraduate programs in the faculty of science. 

In addition nearly 700 new domestic graduate students will be able to enter master's programs in the faculty of science and the faculty of agriculture, life and environmental sciences.

"The Biological Sciences Building has been a hub of innovation and discovery for over 50 years, but time is taking its toll," said university president Bill Flanagan.

"This much-needed redevelopment of the building has been a top capital priority of the University of Alberta since 2022." 

The project will be built in five phases. A completion date has not been announced.