Engineering, Design, and Construction Services At Texas A&M University – College Station

February 04, 2025

Texas A&M University serves Texas as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education. The university’s mission is to provide the highest-quality undergraduate and graduate programs and develop new understandings through research and creativity.

Higher education facilities are challenged with a need for continuous improvement. To attract and retain a growing student population, educational institutions must offer the best, brightest, and most purposeful learning, living, and recreational spaces. To meet the mission, facilities must grow with the needs of the university. SSC’s engineering, design, and construction services (EDCS) team is proud to support Texas A&M University in their efforts to continuously level up facilities.

 

Committed to delivering solutions that provide the highest level of quality and attention to de­tail in the construction industry, our dedicated team manages new construction, additions, and renovations from inception to completion.

At the Texas A&M – College Station cam­pus, EDCS has 32 team members, each with unique and diverse skill sets. While many of SSC’s subject matter experts focus on custo­dial, grounds, and maintenance – EDCS offers expanded expertise, with electrical, structural and mechanical engineers, project managers, architects, and superintendents on the team.

EDCS Responsibilities

Texas A&M’s EDCS team acts as the owner’s designated representative on campus – as­suming the responsibility for, and risk of, any campus project under a predetermined thresh­old. Some of the projects the SSC EDCS team handles include:

  • Classroom, lab, and residential life renovations
  • Capital, deferred maintenance, and fire and life safety construction programs
  • Troubleshooting and replacement of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
  • Structural evaluations and repairs
  • New building construction

 

Experienced Project Management Oversight

Each project assigned to the EDCS team receives a designated project manager to see it through.

Ultimately, the goal of the EDCS team is to help Texas A&M move their vision forward – for a feasible cost and in a rea­sonable time frame. The project manager works alongside Texas A&M leadership and administration to understand the vision and scope of the request, and then com­pletes every step along the way, such as:

  • Soliciting designs from local firms
  • Soliciting, bidding, awarding, and administration of construction con­tracts
  • Coordination of construction with architects, customers, depart­ments, and key stakeholders
  • Day-to-day management of project from start to finish

EDCS in Action at Texas A&M University

If you look closely on the edge of Texas A&M University’s College Station campus, you may spot two buildings that hide incredible innovation within their walls. The Automated Precision Phenotyping Greenhouse consists of a headhouse, support alley, and state-of-the-art greenhouse.

New Building Construction: Phenotyping Greenhouse

These facilities are used to grow agricultural crops in different, controlled environments. Tra­ditional phenotyping requires great attention to detail and comes with high risk of crops being contaminated or dam­aged in the process – essentially voiding the results.

The phenotyping greenhouse at A&M uses innovative technology to minimize risk and automate processes, making research activities more consistent and reliable than ever.

The facility was designed with continued growth in mind – spaces are intended to be flexible and adaptable to the current project’s specifications. For full details on the construction and specifications of this facility, read Assistant Professor Benjamin Ennemoser’s article, featured in Texas Architect.

 

Deferred Maintenance Program for Residence Life

The SSC EDCS team at College Station man­ages the Deferred Maintenance program for Texas A&M University Residence Life. This program invests revenue back into the dor­mitory facilities to maintain and modernize them to keep pace with private housing op­portunities around campus. With an annual budget of approximately $15 million-$20 million, most of this work takes place in about a half dozen dorms that are offline during the summer semesters.

 

Project scopes for Residence Life include:

  • Simple Repairs: painting, flooring re­placement, and minor room updates
  • Major Upgrades: enhancements to dorm room finishes and entire building HVAC system replacements

Planning for projects valued above $4 mil­lion can start as early as two years in advance. These are deemed capital improve­ment projects and must go through multiple approvals by the Texas A&M system board of regents. Projects valued at less than $4 million are started one year prior with design efforts and competitive bidding.

All construction is scheduled for completion one month before the start of fall classes. This allows for Residence Life to perform “make ready” operations prior to the return of students. Full-time student staff, such as the graduate hall directors, arrive at the end of July, and room advisors will return one week afterward to start orientation. Furni­ture deliveries and safety inspections will also occur during the month, leaving little to no additional time for construction activ­ities.


SSC EDCS has never missed a planned project completion date. Ensuring renovations are finished in time for student move-in is a top priority, and the EDCS team strives to maintain this record of on-time completions each year.

SSC EDCS often works nights and week­ends during the summer. Their priorities are keeping these projects on time and pro­viding students with top-notch facilities at Texas A&M University Residence Life.

 

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