(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s new Construction Technologies Center at the Waco campus is being built for growth.
A topping-out ceremony recently was held at the building, signifying installation of the last roof beam.
The college’s Building Construction Technology, Electrical Construction, HVAC Technology, Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology and Solar Energy Technology programs will be housed in the more than 120,000-square-foot structure that is scheduled to open in time for spring 2026 semester classes.
“Seeing the building constructed has been remarkable,” said Michael Schumacher, TSTC’s senior construction project manager. “Bringing all of our construction trade programs into one building will enable them to utilize each other’s talents in ways they haven’t been able to before.”
Staff members in the programs have been planning for months to move into the new building.
“We are in the process of going through every closet,” said Julie Threlkeld, program team lead for the Building Construction Technology, Electrical Construction and Solar Energy Technology programs.
Threlkeld said new roof trainers will be built for the Solar Energy Technology program, and the Electrical Construction program will get double the space it currently has for its commercial and residential labs. Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology will get an indoor “sandbox” to do trench work in.
The skills of three TSTC alumni who work for Rogers-O’Brien Construction in Waco are on display daily during the building process. Project manager Seth Blanchard, project engineer Daniel Sprinkle and assistant project manager James Stefka are graduates of the Building Construction Technology program at the Waco campus.
“It’s a surreal feeling knowing I graduated more than 10 years ago, and I didn’t think I would build a building for the BCT (Building Construction Technology) program,” Stefka said.
Stefka said one of the things he has enjoyed most about the project has been meeting TSTC students who have taken class tours of the jobsite.
Sprinkle was a TSTC student when he saw the early stages of the building’s construction process. Now he handles documentation work for the project.
“I’m humbled I get to work on a project at TSTC,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Blanchard said alumni working on the project are a testament to the work of the Building Construction Technology program. He said he takes a lot of pride in the new building, which he describes as a “big showpiece” on the interstate.
Some of the building’s features include backlighting, glassed-in labs and a shaded outdoor work area. There will be student lounge areas, faculty and staff offices, and meeting space in the two-story structure.
“My favorite thing about the building is that its design, while serving as a beautiful showcase for TSTC, also allows our students in the construction trades to see how it is put together,” Schumacher said. “The structural steel, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) systems and building materials used are all on display throughout the building.”
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.