With the increase in student enrollment and more need for classrooms, Binghamton University has begun planning the construction of two new campus buildings. Both projects are expected to contribute to a major expansion of the science and engineering departments at BU.

The first of these projects is a Science V building, which is to be located in the courtyard between Science III and Science IV. According to Karen Fennie, spokeswoman for Physical Facilities, preliminary schedules have construction beginning in the spring or fall of 2008, with the project being completed by late fall of 2010. A consultant has been hired, and design for the project is currently in the beginning stages and is scheduled to continue through next year.

The Science V building is being built to provide additional research space on campus, as well as provide surge room to allow for renovations to the other, older science buildings. The renovations are expected to take place in phases, following the construction of Science V.

The second project is a new engineering building to be built in the Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC), which opened last month. Construction for the engineering building is slated to begin either in the summer or fall of 2008, and to be completed in 2011. Both programming and design for this building are currently underway.

The new engineering building is necessary due to the growth of the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. Watson was founded in 1983 and has been one of the fastest growing engineering schools in the country. It has doubled its enrollment since 1996, despite a national decline in engineering enrollment, and now has 1,580 students. The school’s surge in popularity has means that current facilities can no longer accommodate the needs of its faculty members and students.

The engineering building will allow for an expansion of engineering and other related scientific research, as well as provide space for additional classrooms. The new facility will also allow the University to hire new faculty members and expand its enrollment of both undergraduate and graduate students.

The new building will contain both the mechanical engineering and the electrical and computer engineering departments, and will allow for the expansion of research and economic development activities.

In addition, parts of the building will be set aside for businesses. It will house new business start-ups, including an additional suite reserved for faculty-derived companies, which currently exists in the biotechnology building. University spokeswoman Gail Glover added that the building will “support the University’s ongoing industry partnerships and promote new ones.”