Campus administrators and Facilities Services workers came together Thursday to celebrate the opening of the new Facilities Services Complex, a 91,000-square-foot building on Sutherland Avenue that now houses more than 200 of the department’s employees after a two-year renovation and new construction project.
The building was constructed in 1908 as a marble and precast factory. During the renovation, overhead cranes were preserved as decommissioned artifacts, and elements like the original steel structure, concrete floors, and wooden decking were refurbished. The office section of the building is assembled in an open floor plan to foster collaboration among employees and departments.
The project frees up space for core academic buildings in the center of campus, which is among the goals of UT’s master plan.