Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Board of Regents Approve Biorenewables Complex

By: Anne Krapfl

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, gave final approval to plans for the laboratory building, including a $32 million budget, at its Feb. 7 meeting in Ames. It will be the new home of ISU's Bioeconomy Institute. The board also approved the schematic design for the complex, which would include two wings for the agricultural and biosystems engineering (ABE) department, an open atrium connecting all three wings of the complex and a separate four-level parking ramp. Specific plans for those components will be presented to the board when funding proposals are complete. The parking ramp would cost up to $22 million, and be funded with parking fees and state-issued bonds. The ABE wings would cost an estimated $66.5 million and be covered by some combination of state building funds, state-issued bonds and private gifts.

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