Construction and development firm Skanska announced on Oct. 7, 2025, it reached a milestone on the University of North Texas' main campus in Denton, Texas, with the steel topping out of the new Science and Technology Building.
To celebrate the topping out, teams signed the steel beam used to top out the structure and erected and placed the final beam.
The new building, designed by SmithGroup architects, will offer UNT students more modern facilities designed to support interdisciplinary research across a range of STEM fields, including biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, physics, data science and computer science and engineering.
Spanning 111,000 sq. ft. over five stories, the building will feature flexible wet and dry research labs, core equipment areas, a BSL-3 lab, potential clinical space and a variety of meeting and collaboration zones. These modern, adaptable spaces are designed to foster innovation and hands-on learning in a dynamic academic environment.
"As demand for STEM education continues to grow across Texas and the nation, universities are investing in facilities that support advanced research and hands-on learning," said Dennis Yung, executive vice president and general manager for Skanska USA Building. "This project reflects the kind of work we're passionate about, creating spaces that foster innovation and collaboration. We're proud to help UNT expand its capacity to serve students and contribute to the region's growing innovation economy."
The building fulfills a critical need for modern facilities that support collaborative and interdisciplinary research. It also will create experiential learning opportunities for students and encourage cross-training and collaboration across disciplines.
"The new Science and Technology Building will be a very important addition for the UNT Denton Campus," said Casey Moore, director of project management for the UNT System. It has taken significant time, money and effort to get to this point, and Skanska is the type of construction partner that you want on an important project like this to ensure success."
Year to date, 580 workers have been on the project and put in 100,070 hours. Construction is expected to be complete in spring 2026.
