FBT Architects

NMSU Chemistry Building

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NMSU Chemistry Building

Las Cruces, NM

The Chemistry complex addition and renovation on NMSU’s central campus is a transformation of a 60-year-old obsolete facility into a state-of-the-art home for the Colleges of Arts and Sciences. The modern high-tech facility contains 50,000 sf of new laboratory, teaching, and faculty office spaces for the chemistry and molecular biology departments as well as a 200-seat lecture hall and dining facility.

Given the building’s prominent location on the horseshoe, the original campus entrance, the concept reflects NMSU’s roots and is designed in the southwest mission style with sloping Spanish tile roofs and protected courtyards. A tower was incorporated to demark the north entrance – an existing campus landmark and remnant from a structure long since demolished.

Designed to expand and complement two older non-descript buildings built in 1955 and 1967, the addition was organized into smaller components, expressing various functions separately, and creating a protected courtyard for student and faculty gathering. Given the size of this complex, the use of design elements such as steps and breaks in facades along with arches, overhangs, and divided lite windows helped to create a human scale.

  • 50,000 sf new
  • 15,000 sf renovation
  • Faculty & graduate assistant offices
  • Lecture Hall
  • 30,000 sf of Chemistry and Molecular Biology labs
  • Dining Hall

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