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On Friday, UT leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Chemistry Building that will be erected on Cumberland Avenue.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Friday, leaders from the University of Tennessee held a groundbreaking ceremony for the university’s new chemistry building.
The Tennessee General Assembly has set aside $165.5 million in its fiscal year 2025-26 budget for the project, making it the largest state investment ever funded for a single higher education project in the state of Tennessee, according to UT.
The new building will be 162,00 square feet and eight stories. It will have two 50-seat lecture halls, one 50-seat study room, 30 research labs, three teaching labs, 12 collaborative workspaces and dedicated workstations for student researchers.
The new building will be erected on Cumberland Avenue between Strong Hall and the Winston College of Law.
“The groundbreaking of this new chemistry building represents a crucial investment not only in the University of Tennessee but in all of Tennessee,” UT Chancellor Donde Plowman said. “This new facility will help meet the increasing demand to provide high-level chemistry education and training.”
The new building will allow the chemistry department to grow significantly, according to the university. UT expects to see an increase of 15% in the number of undergraduate chemistry majors, 20% in the number of graduate students, 20% in chemistry credit hours and 25% in external research grants.
The chemical industry has invested more than $400 million into the state over the past six years, creating more than 2,000 jobs, according to the university. In June, United States News & World Report ranked UT as the No. 1 university in the nation for polymer science — a subset of chemistry.
“These opportunities will prepare the future workforce to meet the needs of our state and beyond,” Plowman said.