Barricades are stationed outside the Nanotechnology Research Center on Aug. 14 at UTA.
File photo / Maricela Gonzales
With the start of the fall semester, students are coming back to a campus that might look different from how they left it. The university has several ongoing construction projects designed to improve campus spaces, classrooms and utilities.
“There is a lot happening right now, and students experience these projects pretty directly as they move around campus every day,” said Christopher Fulton, assistant vice president for the Office of Facilities Management, in an email.
Here are some updates on construction around campus.
University Center
At the end of the spring semester, UTA began demolition on parts of the University Center. While the east side of the building, including Connection Café and the Follett Student Leadership Center, remains intact, much of the building has been gutted in preparation for rebuilding, according to previous Shorthorn reporting.
Fulton said the project is about creating something special for campus, a “living room” for students to spend their time in.
This semester the building will be going through major construction, he said.
The building, once complete, will add more space, seating, room for organizations to gather and new dining options, Fulton said. The substantial completion of the center is set for late December 2028, he said.
Life Science Building
While it’s still an active academic building, with classes continuing through the construction, Fulton said the building has been undergoing a major renovation since 2023.
New and renovated labs, classrooms and student spaces have been added, along with major mechanical and electrical improvements, he said.
The construction is expected to be completed in late 2027, Fulton said.
UTA West
Initial construction on the project began in December 2025, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. Fulton said work has begun on the infrastructure and the first facilities for the new Fort Worth campus.
He said the campus is planned to open in fall 2028 after the construction of the first academic building is finished.
“The building is being designed around how students and faculty actually teach, learn and interact today,” Fulton said. “That means flexible, technology-rich teaching spaces, strong visual and physical connections between indoor and outdoor areas, and plenty of places for students to gather, collaborate or simply spend time between classes.”
Smaller projects
Students can expect campus renewal projects throughout the year, Fulton said, including roof replacements, paving, classroom and study space renovations, plumbing work, and mechanical and electrical system updates.
The Fine Arts Building, the Nanotechnology Research Center, the Chemistry and Physics Building, the Central Library and the Business Building will be or are currently undergoing roofing projects.
The Business Building, the Fine Arts Building and University Hall will have classroom renovations.
“More broadly, there is a lot of work underway that will change how students learn, study, gather and move through campus over the next several years,” Fulton said.
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