University of Minnesota Fraser Hall Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Lab

Sheet Metal Contractor

MG McGrath, Inc.
Maplewood, Minnesota

Lead Design Architect

VJAA Architects
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Executive Architect

BWBR Architects, Inc.
St Paul, Minnesota

General Contractor

M. A. Mortenson Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities recently completed upgrades to its nearly 100-year-old Fraser Hall. This $132 million project consolidated several chemistry disciplines across multiple halls into a single central chemistry building for undergraduate-level courses. With renovations complete, Fraser Hall now features 18 new interactive laboratories, modern study-method equipment upgrades, collaboration spaces, faculty offices, and chemistry classrooms. Fraser Hall now provides roughly 117,000 square feet of space and serves as the central science building for over 5,000 U of M students every year.

The structure stands out with sweeping views of floor-to-ceiling glass and a shiny new copper façade. The MG McGrath team custom-fabricated 15,607 square feet of 16-oz. copper panels with personalized embossing and a natural copper finish. Each panel was pressed into a specially made stamp to give it a ribbed profile and then fabricated into an S-Slip panel system for the main portions of the façade.