Construction on SLU’s campus doubled with the recent announcement of the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISE) Building a few weeks ago, resulting in the scheduled demolition of SLU’s Dolphin Pond. In addition, the SSM Health SLU Hospital recently finished placing the final steel beam this August.

The ISE Building will begin construction in November after an archaeological excavation of the site, as the site was previously an Encampment for secessionists during the Civil War. This historic site helped established Missouri as a Union state, and its legacy will continue with modern advancements in the science and engineering fields. The excavation will be led by Dr. Thomas Finan (Associate Professor of History), and the expected completion date of the ISE Building is summer of 2020.

The building will be located on Tegeler field near the Dolphin Pond, where the site is currently surrounded by a blue fence. To ease student upset over the demolition of the Dolphin Pond, the beloved outdoor space will be moved to another location nearby or somewhere else on campus and this new location will be announced soon.

The building will boast new lab spaces as well as new classrooms for students. It will be the second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED; a green building rating system) certified building on campus in addition to the Doisy Research Center and will be the first to earn a Silver Certification upon completion of construction. The building will be approximately 90,000 square feet and 3 stories high. The project will also include renovation of existing lab spaces though the exact nature of these renovations is still unknown.

On the South Campus this past month, the new SSM Health SLU Hospital had a ceremony for the placement of the final beam of the building, which was signed by many employees of the current hospital. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Fred P. Pestello, Dr. Robert M. Heaney (SLUCare Physician Group CEO), as well as many employees and other community leaders.

At the ceremony, Candance Jennings, the SSM Health Region President, stated that, “The new hospital will enable SSM Health, SLUCare Physician Group, and Saint Louis University the opportunity to provide the most advance healthcare in our region and to teach the next generation of students, medical students, nursing students, and allied health professional students in the coming century.”

Dr. Pestello also spoke on the partnership between SSM Health and SLU and expressed his hopes for how the new hospital would be able to help the surrounding area and people. He also spoke on its value as a teaching hospital for doctors, nurses, and more.

The SSM Health SLU Hospital and the ISE Building are predicted to finish construction in September and summer of 2020 respectively. In addition, renovations on Macelwane Hall (which houses the Department of Biology and is located off Laclede between the BSC and Hermann Stadium) are expected to finish in January of 2019 and Biology Faculty and Biology Labs will be returning to the hall in the spring semester.