NACOGDOCHES, TX Kirksey Architecture helped celebrate with Stephen F. Austin State University staff members, board of regents, and a host of state representatives at the groundbreaking of the Ed and Gwen Cole STEM Building.

The 87,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art STEM building, designed by Kirksey Architecture, will be a recognizable landmark in the heart of the SFA campus.

The new development is energized further with the creation of an extensive science-themed landscaped STEM Corridor which will link existing Chemistry, Math, and Science buildings with the new STEM Building. It will include departmental administrative offices and support space, a variety of collaborative classrooms, teaching/research laboratories, a significant maker space supported by a machine and wood shop and engineering lab, student spaces, a rooftop terrace equipped with telescopes, as well as the focal point of the building a 52-foot dome planetarium. Inherently student-centered, the building is designed to engage all students in a dynamic learning experience upon arriving at the site, with the building itself becoming that of a teaching tool, in addition to the various educational programs within.

"This building will serve as a landmark for SFA and will attract more STEM interest from potential students and the community," said Steve Durham, Principal-in-Charge of the project and Executive Vice President at Kirksey. "We are honored to have designed this building for SFA and look forward to our continued relationship with the campus."

Kirksey Architecture serves as the design architect and J.E. Kingham Construction is the General Contractor. The building is anticipated to open in the spring of 2018.