Art And Science Collide At Instructional Laboratory & Innovative Learning Building
The newly-opened facility on West Campus holds five floors of labs, studios and collaborative study spaces, as well as a host of unique decorations inspired by the chemical building blocks of our world.
Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & CommunicationsFebruary 3, 2023
The new ILSQ building houses more than 30 labs and interdisciplinary studio spaces meant to enhance science, art and architecture on the Texas A&M campus.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
Students have been exploring the latest addition to the campus skyline this semester as Texas A&M University marks the completion of its state-of-the-art Instructional Laboratory & Innovative Learning Building (ILSQ).
The five-story, 140,000-square-foot facility on the edge of West Campus officially opened its doors at the start of the spring 2023 semester, providing new hands-on learning spaces for chemists, artists and creators of all kinds. Envisioned as a companion to the nearby Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB), the ILSQ took roughly $100 million dollars and just over two years of construction to complete.
Take a look inside to find out what makes this sprawling new facility such an exciting part of A&M’s growing campus.
The ILSQ building stands on the west side of Wellborn Road, directly across the railroad tracks from its sister facility, ILCB, which opened its doors to students in 2020.
The newly-unveiled lab building is the latest in a series of additions to A&M’s West Campus, which celebrated the opening of a new dining facility early last year and will soon welcome construction of the Aplin Center, a facility dedicated to programs in hospitality, retail studies and food product development.
A view from outside ILSQ’s south entrance, showcasing the building’s front lawn and outdoor study space.
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The north entrance of ILSQ next to Old Main Drive, with the adjacent ILCB pictured in the background on the other side of Wellborn Road.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The building’s entryway features plenty of spaces for students to study and relax between classes, as well as a central staircase providing access to the second and third floors. The ground floor is home to general chemistry labs and assorted maker spaces, including a wood shop and a 3D-printing lab.
Students ascend the main staircase in ILSQ’s foyer on the morning of Jan. 30.
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A bank of 3D printers on the ILSQ ground floor. This room holds more than a dozen of these printers, which are capable of turning a digital 3D model into a solid physical object.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
A small-scale model of the Empire State Building created in one of ILSQ’s 3D printers.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The second floor features spacious studios for both physical and digital art, as well as additional general chemistry labs.
Throughout the building, the walls are decorated with art pieces showcasing the beauty of chemistry, from artistically composed shots of lab equipment, to colorful diagrams showing the molecular structure of common food and flavor compounds like lactose and menthol.
A canvas showing the chemical structure of cinnamaldehyde, the molecule that gives cinnamon its distinctive taste and smell.
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An illustration representing menthol, the flavorful organic compound found in peppermint and similar plants.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The molecular structure and formula for theobromine, the bitter-tasting compound that occurs naturally in cocoa beans and is used extensively in chocolate and other food products.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
A model of a human skeleton used as a reference for life drawing classes in one of ILSQ’s painting and drawing studios.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
A computer lab equipped to host digital art and design classes on the second floor of ILSQ.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The general chemistry laboratories found on the lower floors are equipped to host entry- and lower-level undergraduate chemistry labs. The third floor houses more of these labs, along with group study spaces and a chemistry help desk offering additional assistance to students.
A look inside one of the general chemistry labs found on ILSQ’s first three floors.
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Students work at tables in front of the ILSQ chemistry help desk on Jan. 30. This area also houses several collaborative study rooms overlooking campus.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The fourth and fifth floors are comprised of organic chemistry laboratories for upper-level lab courses. In these spaces, each station boasts its own fume hood and additional tools for advanced lab work.
Organic chemistry laboratories like this one make up the majority of ILSQ’s fourth and fifth floors, providing well-equipped spaces for upper level labs.
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A look at one of the work stations inside ILSQ’s organic chemistry labs, equipped with a computer, fume hoods and assorted lab equipment.
Abbey Santoro/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The state-of-the-art facility will be constructed at a site just east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with substantial completion slated for August 2026.
