Preliminary work has started on a new science facility at Ursinus College’s Collegeville campus which is expected to start welcoming students by the end of next year, writes Natalie Kostelni for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Following a yearlong faculty discussion, it was decided that the facility will follow the concept of “neighborhoods,” allowing science to be studied alongside other academic areas, spurring both scientific research and innovation.

The $29 million Innovation and Discovery Center will have four floors and span 42,500-square-feet. In addition to classrooms and meeting spaces, the new facility will feature the U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies.

The building will also house the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good, which aims to inspire students to become civic and scientific leaders.

The new structure is being designed specifically to promote collaboration through open floor plans, large common areas, and idea labs. However, while the new facility will be science oriented, it will first and foremost build on the college’s liberal arts foundation.

“This isn’t about trying to create another generation of doctors,” explained Brock Bloomberg, president of Ursinus. “We are trying to prepare our students for the jobs of the future.”

Read more about the future science facility at Philadelphia Business Journal by clicking here.