Welch Hall Renovation—phase 1: 1978 wing
The renovation to Welch Hall has transformed this critical facility, located at the heart of the UT Austin Campus, into an inviting, efficient and high-performing building for science, research and education. The renovation breathed new life into a large, aging complex of buildings, and today is again a flagship hub for learning and research for the College of Natural Sciences. Through this renovation, Welch Hall has re-energized the core campus area by redefining its relationship and engaging its surroundings on all four directions.
The adaptive re-use of this important facility helps to attract world class faculty, staff and students to UT Austin. Updated infrastructure serves to both rejuvenate and renew Welch Hall for the next 30 years. The renovation capitalizes on Welch Hall’s central location on Speedway Mall by opening the building to the pedestrian walkway and providing focused social and study spaces for students. Research floors overlook the campus through a canopy of live oak trees.
The University of Texas at Austin
Welch Hall Renovation for Interdisciplinary Science and Texas Quantum Institute
Project Statistics
LOCATION
Austin, TX / United States
COMPLETED
Phase 1: 2021 | Phase 2: 2026
TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE
Phase 1: 332,000 GSF | Phase 2: 20,635 GSF
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Biophysics, Theoretical Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics, Physical Chemistry, Materials Discovery & Characterization, Disease Causation, Drug Development & Delivery, Texas Quantum Institute
Team
Sarah Lindenfeld
Principal-in-Charge
Jeffrey H. Gregorio
Planning Principal
Principal-in-Charge, Norman Hackerman Building Greenhouse
Ron Blanchard
Project Manager
Leon W. Drachman
Principal, Phase 1
Barry Shiel
Architect
PROJECT EUI
The Welch Hall Renovation exceeded our expectations. The college’s need for modern, flexible research and teaching space, coupled with PAYETTE’s vision, transformed an old dingy building into a vibrant space that will serve thousands of students each day.
Dean Appling, Associate Dean, CNS
Interdisciplinary Research & Teaching Space
Welch Hall provides modern and flexible teaching and research space within a venue designed for interdisciplinary work. This comprehensive renovation increased the building’s research capacity by 30%, and significantly improved its efficiency through sharing common resources, including core facilities and expensive instrumentation. In addition, the new design modernized the general purpose classrooms, while providing space, furnishings and technology to support Texas Academic Transformation Initiatives. The new, dynamic student spaces connect the important research that is conducted in Welch Hall with the larger UT Austin community.
On the research floors, the plan was re-conceived to maximize space utilization, connectivity, collaboration, openness and transparency. Natural light and visibility transformed an inefficient and tired space into a bright and inviting environment for research.
Phase 2: Fit-Out of Floors 1 and 5
At the completion of the renovation of the existing 1978 Wing in 2021, areas of the building were left as shell space for future program development. PAYETTE was hired in 2024 to fit-out the shell space on Levels 1 & 5.
The new fit-out provides research space for researchers within the physics, chemistry and other departments. This allows for the hiring of new faculty in these departments, including the establishment of research instrumentation core facilities to enable research of materials science researchers throughout the University.
The Level 1 build-out will provide high performance laboratory space for research in condensed matter physics and physical chemistry that requires tightly controlled environmental conditions for the Texas Quantum Institute. Renovations consist of shared general lab space, installation of a helium recovery system, dilution refrigerator measurement systems and scanning tunneling microscopes. The research is focused on the creation and characterization of materials with novel properties, in particular novel quantum properties.
It is poised to push the frontiers of energy and computer science by laying the foundation for novel computer chips, detectors, conductors and yet to be conceived devices. The research space will enable new research projects by existing researchers within the physics, chemistry and other departments, allow for the hiring of new faculty in these departments, including the establishment of research instrumentation core facilities that will enable research of materials science researcher throughout the University.
The research laboratories on Level 5 support the collaboration of researchers in the study of materials discovery and characterization, as well as on disease causation and drug development and delivery. It also provides valuable wet laboratory swing space for buildings with aging infrastructure allowing those spaces to be reconditioned. This effort supports research in chemistry, biology and related fields. As such, the project furthers the strategic priorities of the College of Natural Sciences.
Photography (c) Andrea Calo
