UW Trustees Select Science Initiative Construction Manager, Master Plan Consultant

A Wyoming company has been selected to serve as construction manager at-risk for the University of Wyoming’s new Science Initiative facility.

UW’s Board of Trustees voted today (Wednesday) to authorize negotiation of a contract with GE Johnson Construction, based in Jackson, to lead construction of the facility aimed at producing world-class research and education to drive Wyoming’s present and future economy.

The Science Initiative facility will contain a 200-seat active-learning classroom, along with state-of-the-art research and laboratory space to support scientific imaging, biological and greenhouse research. The initiative emphasizes collaboration among multiple disciplines by assembling researchers into a single complex with shared instrumentation, technical support and collaboration spaces.

The $100 million project -- $85 million from state appropriations, $15 million from UW reserves -- is scheduled for completion in early 2021.

GE Johnson also is the construction manager at-risk for UW’s new Engineering Education and Research Building (EERB), which is on track for completion in the spring.

The Board of Trustees also voted to authorize negotiation of a contract with the planning firm Sasaki to update the university’s campus master plan. UW’s last master plan was completed in 2009. Sasaki, based in Massachusetts, specializes in campus master planning and has extensive experience in the higher education sector, both nationally and internationally.

The plan will address elements such as green space, land use, new buildings, rehabilitation of buildings, repurposing of existing buildings and traffic flow. It will take into account the EERB and Science Initiative facility, plans for new student housing and other recently completed and planned projects. Factors that will be considered include campus population growth; established and emerging academic and research priorities; preservation of historic campus elements; renovation and restoration needs; transportation; sustainability; local community impact; and utilities and communications infrastructure.

Plans call for the master planning process to be completed by January 2020.