From the Ground Up: Roy Blunt Hall addition

Owner: Missouri State University
General contractor: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
Architect: BNIM (Kansas City)
Engineers: Cook, Flatt & Strobel, Engineers Inc., civil; Terracon Consultants Inc., geotechnical; Walter P. Moore & Associates Inc. (Kansas City), structural; and Imeg Consultants Corp. (Kansas City), mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 77,000 square feet
Cost: $80 million
Funding sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Rescue Plan Act and Sunderland Foundation
Estimated completion: June 30
Project description: Missouri State University’s science building, built in 1971 and formerly called Temple Hall, is being reconstructed and updated. The home of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences and programs including biology, chemistry, geography and geology, Roy Blunt Hall has classrooms and research labs, according to university sources. The building was renamed for former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt in December 2022 as a tribute to the senator’s support of higher education and of research in health and life sciences, MSU President Clif Smart said at the time. The expansion project includes 77,000 additional square feet plus the renovation of the existing 126,000-square-foot building. The expansion alone will cost an estimated $80 million, and the next phase will add another $40.1 million to the price tag. The expansion will include modernized teaching and learning labs, the university reports.