Humanities & Social Sciences Complex (UNM Main)
The existing Humanities building is 50 years old and is in disrepair according to a facility assessment.
Project Description
This new Humanities & Social Sciences Complex is a project designed to replace the Humanities and Ortega Hall facilities with a new building that will contain most of the Humanities and Social Sciences departments/programs within the College of Arts & Sciences. The new building will be both a forward-looking building that supports R1 research and a cultural hub that brings units together as one university while celebrating the distinct identities of the groups within the Humanities and Social Sciences and the communities with whom they collaborate. It will provide a range of workspaces to foster solitary, research, collaboration, and interdisciplinary innovation, as well as a welcoming and inclusive home for UNM’s faculty, staff, and students.
The Humanities and Social Sciences programs provide the courses which all undergraduates in all majors take and are core to the University’s education mission and support all students, undergraduate and graduate, as they progress through their chosen degree program. The scope of these programs will allow this replacement facility to benefit and provide a flagship-quality educational experience for all UNM students.
The new facility will be built to provide:
- Technology that supports the productivity of individuals and teams.
- Diverse teaching/learning, research/work, and presentation/gathering spaces that encourage a wide range of formal and informal activities.
- Suitable amenities (lounge/kitchen, café, wellness room) that make people want to visit and stay, providing opportunities to run into others, collaborate, innovate, and develop a work-life balance.
The Humanities and Social Sciences programs consists of over 30 units including Africana Studies, American Studies, Chicana & Chicano Studies, English, Comparative Literature, Medieval Studies, Native American Studies, Philosophy, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Classical Studies, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Latin, Modern Languages, Navajo, and Swahili, Anthropology, Geography, History, International Studies, Latin American Studies, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, and Psychology, Public Policy, Museum Studies, Sustainability Studies, Women & Gender Studies, and Religious Studies.
Additional background
The existing Humanities building is 50 years old and has reached the end of its useful life. A facility condition assessment, conducted in 2020, identified multiple system conditions, including structure failure, recurrent flooding, life safety, code compliance, and ADA access issues. In addition to its poor condition, the facility does not meet the current needs of the Humanities and Social Sciences programs. Recently, the N.M. Construction Industries Division (CID) informed UNM that due to the condition of the interior shaft of the facility, the university could no longer renovate it, as the building is no longer code-compliant with industry standards.
Ortega Hall is 51 years old and has exceeded its useful lifespan. A facility condition assessment, conducted in 2021, identified most of the building’s primary systems have served beyond their expected useful lifespans and the building’s design has resulted in many safety challenges. While Ortega Hall will not be removed as part of this project, it is scheduled for removal in five years.
The University has recently revised its space policies and procedures to ensure maximization of space utilization across campuses. These updated space guidelines will be implemented in the new facility. Various strategies, such as shared facilities, reduced office sizes, and central scheduling of instructional spaces, will be used to promote operational efficiencies. Hybrid work solutions are also planned for applicable areas in this facility. The existing Humanities building is 67,828 gross square feet (GSF) and Ortega Hall is 52,631 GSF, the replacement facility will increase the utilization of spaces in 80,728 GSF, reducing UNM’s square footage by nearly 40,000 GSF.
Total GO Bond Request: $52 Million
