Returning students and faculty may notice a major transformation at WSU’s largest-ever construction project — the Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (MBRB) — nearly a year after contractors broke ground.

Dr. Daniel Walz, associate dean of research at the School of Medicine, is helping oversee the project.

“The structure on Woodward is where the building’s signature three-story glass facade will be,” said Walz. “The basement and first floor are completed, and a new floor will be added each month until all three floors are done in October.”

Construction is currently on schedule to be completed in late 2014. Interior construction is slated to begin in December.

Administrators from the School of Medicine, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Science, and College of Nursing are already working on the MBRB’s research-themed occupancy plan.

“The MBRB will not be occupied on a departmental basis, but rather by three main research themes,” explained Walz. “When the building opens in 2015, approximately 30 to 35 researchers will move in and begin working on research related to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders and system biology.”

The MBRB’s research occupancy plan also calls for up to 35 new researchers to move into the building over a three-year period.