Improvements at Mississippi State University span from new facilities on Blackjack Road to infrastructure improvements in the middle of campus.
University Architect Tim Muzzi, who works in the Office of Planning Design and Construction Administration at MSU, said the university constantly has developments in the works on and around campus.
"Right now, large and small, we probably have about 65 projects going on," Muzzi said.
Muzzi is an alumni of the school, and has worked there for the past 13 years.
"We have probably done close to $900 million in improvements in that time," Muzzi said. "Since Dr. Keenum was here, we have probably done about $600 million worth of projects. I applaud Dr. Keenum. He has been able to help fund money from the state and donors, and all of that to support what we do."
NEW MEAT SCIENCE LAB
A recent, nearly complete, construction project that can be seen from Blackjack Road is the new meat science lab, the first part of a two-building complex that will be constructed there.
"It will take place of the functions that are now occurring in Ballew Hall, where they slaughter the pigs and cows and do the meat processing," Muzzi said. "That should be completed within the next three or four months."
The second building will be the new animal dairy science building, and the next phase for the project will be a poultry science building.
OLD MAIN ACADEMIC CENTER
Another nearly complete building that has been raised in the center of campus is the "Old Main" Academic Center, which the school aspires to be open for the upcoming fall semester.
The whole structure will be 150,000 square feet, Muzzi said. with two levels that will be 60,000 square feet, and a bottom that is a garage. The top three levels are 90,000 square feet, which will be all classrooms.
"I think we have 21 classrooms in it.," he said. "Well, 22 if we divide the big one off, which has a partition that comes down from the ceiling."
By the school's calculations, at maximum capacity, the new academic center can run 11,677 students through it in one day. It will be a heavily used building, dedicated almost entirely to classrooms.
"This will probably be one of the most student-oriented buildings on campus except for the union," Muzzi said. "We are going to occupy it for fall classes, if not summer classes."
The building gets its namesake from one of the first structures that was built on campus, the Old Main dorm, which was erected in 1880. The dormitory was one of the largest college dorms in the United States at the time. In January of 1959, it was destroyed in a fire.
The Chapel of Memories, which stands between where the Old Main dorm burned down and the new "Old Main" Academic Center is being erected, is constructed partially with bricks from the dorm. The bricks that comprise the tower of the chapel still bear the black, singed scars of the flames.
MSU is also renovating the YMCA building, which previously hosted the campus Post Office, Muzzi said. After renovations, the offices of Student Affairs, the Dean of Students, and other faculty offices will be held in the building. Plans for the building plans to be open in January of 2018.
The school has also announced improvements on the Dudy Noble Field. Some of the structure will be removed and two years of renovations and additions will take place on the existing field. However, the field will still be open during game season during construction. The school hopes to start construction on the baseball field in January.
"We are in the process of designing a new engineering science complex for civil engineering that will go on the corner of Hardy Street and Moore Road, right there at the gravel parking lot," Muzzi said. "That will be about 60,000 square feet and will house some engineering and some chemistry labs. We will probably start construction in spring of 2018, a year from now."
NEW MUSIC FACILITY
Within the next four months, the school is working on a design for a new music facility, as well.
"It will include classrooms, and will be close to the band hall," Muzzi said. "That building's size could be anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 square feet."
Alongside the additions and improvements to buildings on campus, the school is also working to keep the infrastructure up to date. Where the old powerhouse still stands is a new cooling facility for the campus air conditioners. A fluid within the facility chills water as it flows through pipes, and the water travels through buildings around campus, cooling the facilities as it moves. The water loops through various halls, including the newest dorms, and returns to be cooled again.
"That project was probably about $30 million," Muzzi said. "It is all new technology, very similar to what we have in our cars, just on a much larger scale."
The university also looks to stay up to date and to grow with its population. Infrastructure above ground and below ground are both considered important.
The school is installing new waterlines and connecting the towers, not only for domestic water but also for fire protection, Muzzi said.
"As we expand, as our population of student growth expands, so does our facilities, and so does our infrastructure," Muzzi said. "We stay active and up to date. We have to pay attention to the building codes, the American Disabilities Act and energy codes. There is so much involved in putting these buildings together."