Near the southeast edge of the University of New Mexico's (UNM) main campus in Albuquerque, the new $82.1 million Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology (CCAT) is rising from the ground.

With a completion date of October 2026, the center, considered the hub of the College of Fine Arts, will include a 600-seat concert hall, exhibition and rehearsal spaces and flexible collaborative areas.

Bradbury Stamm Construction is the contractor.

"They've come up out of the ground at this point," said Kurt Schlough, UNM's facilities design and construction director. "The structure is concrete and steel. They're primarily working on the concrete structure at this point. So, there's a tremendous amount of rebar work that's underway, a tremendous amount of concrete formwork that's happening. They have two large tracked cranes at the site that are working to help them navigate a fairly tight footprint."

At 59,197 gross sq. ft., the Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology, also known as CCAT, is one of the largest projects under construction at the university this summer.

Enrollment at the Albuquerque campus was approximately 23,000 students in the fall of 2024. Approximately 27,000 students are enrolled in the University of New Mexico system.

With the student body mostly scattered until fall, Schlough said his department has the chance to do work that would be more difficult when classes are in session.

"Typically, summer itself is incredibly busy," he said. "It's one of the few times of the year when we have anywhere from 12 to 14 weeks where we can work without significant deterrence as far as noise and class schedules and things of that nature getting in the way.

"It puts contractors on a pretty strict time limit, especially when we're dealing with dormitories and spaces that you need to occupy on specific dates by the start of the fall semester."

CCAT will be designed to meet or exceed LEED Silver V.4 certification standards, according to the university.

With glass on three sides, the building "provides some incredible panoramic views of the Sandia Mountains," Schlough said.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro and ROMA Architecture are the project architects, and the university's Jim Lloyd is the project manager.

Equipment used included a John Deere 350 excavator with a hydraulic grapple, a John Deere 330 excavator with a hydraulic hammer, a Cat skid loader, two Bobcat skid loaders, a Volvo EC50 excavator with a bucket and claw and a Volvo EC60 excavator with a crusher claw.

The CCAT isn't the only active project at UNM this summer.

Facing the Zimmerman Library and flanked by Ortega Hall, with its classrooms and offices, and the Student Union, the Humanities and Social Sciences Complex has anchored the center of campus since it was built in 1973.

An assessment in 2020 found the facility had aged beyond its usefulness, according to the university. Over the summer, the five-story Brutalist structure was fenced off, as the university began its demolition. In its place, a new Humanities and Social Science facility will open in 2028.

"The project aligns with UNM's long-term vision to modernize campus infrastructure while preserving the university's rich tradition of scholarship," according to the university.

Like the Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology, the new $52 million humanities complex is one of the university's larger construction projects this summer, Schlough said.

"Typically, larger projects come up every couple of years because of some of the bonds that go through with the state funding sources."

The just-closed humanities building will be demolished from the top down and from the inside out, Schlough said.

"Right now, a large part of the work includes the abatement of the materials inside. So, anything with asbestos is being removed and documented as needed," he said.

After that, demolition contractor Bradbury Stamm will begin the demolition process in the interior.

Architecture on the central campus tends to follow the Spanish Pueblo Revival style. This year, the university adopted its Integrated Campus Plan, which includes design guidelines.

The new Humanities building is in the schematic design phase, Schlough said.

"They will be continuing to work through design development and then construction documents into next year," he said. "And the plan is for construction for the early work package, which would be basically utilities and basement work, would start sometime around July 2026. And then it has about a 24-month construction period.

"Right now, there's a lot of discussion on materials. We're working through structure. We're working through the mechanical systems. There are also a tremendous amount of meetings that are happening with the many humanities' departments."

The facility is expected to be completed in 2028.

RMKM Architecture is serving as the demolition architect, while SMPC Architects and Studio Tsien Architects are the new construction architects.

And then there's the Duck Pond.

When the UNM's Duck Pond was built on the southwest campus in the 1970s, it was part of a project to provide "an open area for the relaxation and enjoyment of students and faculty," according to the university.

The 32,000-gross-sq.-ft. "urban water feature" was rededicated after undergoing a complete $4 million renovation to replace aging infrastructure, enhance water quality, improve safety and accessibility and reduce maintenance demands.

In a desert environment, the pond, with its ducks, turtles and fish, provides a respite for students, faculty and alumni.

"People have a lot of feelings for it," Schlough says. "Even though it seems like a simple pond, it's crucial, it's central to the heart of campus."

Contractor Aquatic Consultants drained and deepened the pond and added a pond liner. Pland Collaborative served as the project architect.

The project plan included a waterfall, a footbridge spanning the pond and "a rolling, mounded grassy area which will serve to deflect foot traffic and shield people from the wind," according to the university. CEG