While many Binghamton University students are enjoying a relaxing summer break, there is a lot of work being done back on campus.

The University’s website lists 13 different construction projects currently underway, including preparations for the Pharmacy School, renovations to Lecture Hall and construction of the new Smart Energy Research and Development Facility as part of the Information Technologies Complex (ITC). Smaller projects, like dorm renovations and facility repairs, are also underway.

Each project has its own timeline, but most of the simpler maintenance projects are set to be complete by the time students return in the fall. The largest projects taking place are the Smart Energy Research and Development Facility, Pharmacy School, Lecture Hall Student Wing Renovations and synthetic turf fields by the east fields, and will cost just under $150 million.

According to Karen Fennie, the communications specialist for the Physical Facilities Department, overall plans for projects are developed by the State University Construction Fund. They are then managed and completed by the University. Some focus on simple maintenance, such as the renovations to the dorms, but others are a result of the University’s Road Map plan.

Construction for the Pharmacy School, located off campus in Johnson City, will begin next spring and the building is expected to open in the fall of 2018. Fennie said that it will be more than just an addition to the University; it will have a positive affect on the larger community.

“The Pharmacy School is expected to have a ripple effect on the local economy,” Fennie wrote in an email. “Producing jobs during the construction phase and after, attracting new businesses and revitalizing an area that has largely been idle.”

The Smart Energy Research and Development Facility at the ITC will house the University’s chemistry and physics departments, and will be completed by the summer of 2017. Fennie said that unlike some of the smaller projects, this one is part of the University’s long term plan.

“The Smart Energy Facility will advance research on campus,” Fennie said. “Some of the larger projects allow the University to meet goals set out in the Road Map process and advance the University’s mission.”

The renovations to Lecture Hall will focus on the Student Wing, and 20 new classrooms will be created on the first and second floors. Smaller renovations will be done in the dorms such as repainting, and the synthetic turf field at the entrance to campus will also be completed by the time students return in the fall.

BU President Harvey Stenger said that while some projects are bigger than others, they all serve special purposes.

“I believe that all of the projects are of equal importance, because they are highly interwoven in purpose and timing,” Stenger said. “Therefore it is important that they are all completed on time and on budget.”

A full description of the current projects can be found on the University’s website.