The new Plant Sciences Building, which has a planned budget of $66 million, awaits design and construction budget approval from the Board of Regents on Thursday.

The university requested $58.9 million for the project in the 2017-19 state capital budget, according to the regents’ agenda report. The university received $6.6 million for design and preconstruction in the 2015-17 state capital budget.

According to the agenda report, WSU needs a new, modern facility to attract new scientists and students, while also retaining active faculty members in these units.

This building will be interdisciplinary, allowing more programs from the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences to move into a newer facility, according to the report.

The new construction will include wet research offices, wet labs, a dry research area, lab support and a multi-purpose auditorium, according to the design plans. The spine of the building will connect to the existing Biotechnology and Life Sciences Building, and on the other side, it will connect via Sky Bridge to Johnson Hall, according to the plans.

If the regents give their approval, construction will begin in October and is estimated to be complete by June 2019, according to the report.

Reporting by Rosemarie Blume