©Joe Brennan | Brennan Photo + Video
Project Overview
The University of Minnesota transformed Fraser Hall into a modern, centralized home for undergraduate chemistry instruction, serving approximately 5,000 students each year. The project reimagined a historic academic building to support how science is taught and practiced today, replacing early 20th‑century laboratories with collaborative, team‑based learning environments while strengthening safety, energy performance, and long‑term sustainability.
Key Takeaways
- Historic Transformation for Modern STEM: Reimagined a landmark facility into a state-of-the-art hub for undergraduate chemistry, serving 5,000 students annually.
- Collaborative, Future-Ready Labs: Teaching environments reflect flexible, team-based spaces for modern scientific workflows.
- Centralized Academic Hub: Consolidates labs, faculty, and support spaces to improve access, efficiency, and the overall student experience.
- Complex Delivery on an Active Campus: Phased construction ensured safety and minimized disruption to classes, events, and daily campus operations.
- High-Performance Sustainability: Advanced Aircuity ventilation and heat recovery systems reduce energy and meet the demands of modern lab environments.
- Completion Date
July 2025
- Project Cost
$131,000,000
- Delivery Method
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Construction Manager at Risk
- Additional Project Facts
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Leed Sustainability: B3, SB2030
117,000 Square Feet
Advancing Undergraduate STEM Learning
Fraser Hall redefines how chemistry is taught by supporting collaborative, team-based learning and real-time instruction. The new environment enables more flexible teaching methods, improves access to academic support, and creates a more connected experience for students across the department. By centralizing undergraduate chemistry into a single hub, the facility strengthens coordination, increases efficiency, and elevates the overall standard for STEM learning on campus.
Key Features: Modern Chemistry Learning Environment
- Team-based teaching labs designed for active, collaborative learning
- Co-located labs, prep spaces, faculty offices, and support areas
- Flexible layouts that adapt to evolving curriculum needs
- Open, visible study and collaboration spaces throughout the building
- Centralized resources that improve access and student support
Interior Images: ©Jasper Lazor Photography
Exterior Images: ©Joe Brennan | Brennan Photo + Video
Delivering a Complex Renovation on an Active Campus
Transforming a historic building in the center of campus required careful planning and disciplined, phased execution. Construction was sequenced to prioritize student safety while minimizing disruption to classes, events, and daily operations.
Close coordination with academic leaders, facilities teams, and public stakeholders ensured alignment throughout the project. Improvements to entrances, pathways, and circulation strengthened connections to surrounding buildings and enhanced access to the Mississippi River corridor—reinforcing Fraser Hall’s role as a visible and well-integrated campus destination.
Sustainability & Environmental Stewardship
Fraser Hall demonstrates how historic buildings can meet modern performance expectations through a combination of advanced systems and thoughtful design strategies. Demand-based ventilation using the Aircuity system adjusts airflow to reduce energy use while maintaining strict safety standards, and a heat recovery chiller captures and redistributes energy to improve overall efficiency.
Supporting these systems is a broader approach to sustainability that enhances long-term performance and environmental responsibility:
- Reduced energy use through heat recovery and demand-based ventilation
- Envelope upgrades and system modernization improving long-term efficiency
- Alignment with SB2030, Minnesota B3 Guidelines, and University sustainability goals
- Adaptive reuse of existing structure and materials to minimize waste
- High-recycled-content materials supporting responsible resource use
- Reduced operational costs and carbon footprint over the building lifecycle
- Demonstrates a scalable model for sustainable renovation of historic lab facilities
©Joe Brennan | Brennan Photo + Video
Awards
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Top Project Award, 2025 - Finance and Commerce, Inc.
Meet the Project Team
Additional Resources
12.16.2025 /// University of Minnesota
Reimagining Fraser Hall: Design for a New Era of Science Learning at the University of Minnesota