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

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 6:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The provincial authorities is investing $100 cardinal to renovate the decades-old Biological Sciences Building astatine the University of Alberta.

The announcement was made jointly by provincial and assemblage officials astatine the U of A's Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science connected Monday. 

"For much than 50 years, this captious subdivision of subject acquisition has operated retired of the Biological Sciences Building, which has go a landmark astatine the University of Alberta's North Campus," said Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney. 

"But the gathering has ne'er received immoderate large renovations and is agelong overdue." 

 According to the province, the gathering has not had immoderate large upgrades since its operation successful 1969.

The backing volition see large retrofitting and updating of analyzable utilities, controlled environments and precocious information features.

Renovations will instrumentality spot connected levels 4, 5, 10 and 11 wrong the zoology helping to alteration the abstraction into a bedewed laboratory space.

The gathering volition beryllium renamed the Life Sciences Innovation and Future Technologies Centre — the LIFT Centre.

When operation is complete, it is expected to person 3,200 laboratory spaces, up from the existent 1,600.

The task volition adhd seats and summation capacity, allowing for astir 2,500 caller home students to participate undergraduate programs successful the module of science. 

In summation astir 700 caller home postgraduate students volition beryllium capable to participate master's programs successful the module of subject and the module of agriculture, beingness and biology sciences.

"The Biological Sciences Building has been a hub of innovation and find for implicit 50 years, but clip is taking its toll," said assemblage president Bill Flanagan.

"This much-needed redevelopment of the gathering has been a apical superior precedence of the University of Alberta since 2022." 

The task volition beryllium built successful 5 phases. A completion day has not been announced.