BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Colorado Board of Regents has approved plans to build a new $82.5 million aerospace engineering building on the CU Boulder campus.

The 139,000-square-foot facility will offer a state-of-the-art learning environment for students in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences.

In addition to a 200-seat auditorium, offices and other classroom space, the new building will include an indoor flight environment for testing unmanned craft and it will be built with a roof design that allows for the sight lines needed to track satellites in orbit.

The building will be located along Discovery Drive, between the existing Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics’ Space Science Building on CU Boulder’s East Campus.

CU Boulder’s aerospace program has seen a lot of growth in recent years – enrollment grew from 647 students in the fall of 2011 to 946 in fall 2016 – and this new building will help the university keep its momentum going.

“This is a watershed moment, not just for CU aerospace, but for our entire college, the university and the state of Colorado,” said Bobby Braun, dean of engineering. “CU Boulder is already recognized as a national leader in aerospace, and this state-of-the-art facility will take us to the next level. This facility will be a beacon of innovation for the students, researchers and industries of the future.”

Fundraising for the building is already underway and a $15 million gift earlier this year puts the university well on its way toward its goal.

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in the fall, with an anticipated completion date in July 2019.