The University of Houston celebrated the groundbreaking of a new $65 million academic building in ceremonies at the UH at Sugar Land instructional site. Before faculty, staff, students and community leaders, UH officials turned the dirt for what will become the Technology Building-Sugar Land Academic Building 2 (SAB2).
"We are grateful for the collaboration of supporters in the region and state whose investment in UH will result in a new generation of engineering and technology professionals," said Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston. "The growth of our Technology Division and our Sugar Land instructional site supports our vision of building a top 50 public university that provides a top tier educational experience and creates impactful research.”
The three-floor, approximately 75,000 square foot building will be home for faculty, staff and students of the UH Cullen College of Engineering-Technology Division.
In 2021, the Texas Legislature approved funds for a second academic building in Sugar Land. The allocation was part of a larger funding package for UH System facility construction and renovations. The new construction will allow the Technology Division to complete its transition to Sugar Land.
“We are excited to usher in this next chapter of growth and impact for the University and for our Fort Bend County region,” said Jay Neal, associate vice president, academic affairs and chief operating officer for UH at Sugar Land. “The addition of this new building will allow us to accommodate all Technology Division classes and programs that have been transitioning from the main campus to Sugar Land for the last several months.”
In 2022, a transition task force was seated to begin moving all programs and classes to the Sugar Land instructional site. By 2025 all programs from the Technology Division will be at UH at Sugar Land.
The new Technology Building will feature:
Wet and dry labs
Traditional and active learning classrooms
Computer labs
Student lounge areas
Conference spaces
Student advising spaces
The new building will sit adjacent to the current Technology Building, which opened in 2019. The architect for the new Technology Building is SmithGroup. The builder is Vaughn Construction. The grand opening is planned for 2025.