Curtain wall and shade systems champion the retrofit of a building for the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE), offering a shining visual appeal and critical energy-saving benefits.
The project involved the renovation and expansion of Fraser Hall. With views of the Mississippi River and the Twin Cities campus, the nearly 100-year-old building underwent a complete redesign by VJAA and BWBR Architects. A custom sunshade system with a copper finish, an eye-catching curtain wall system, and entrance doors offer visual interest to the exterior of this educational hub.
The completed, 10,910.1 m2 (117,435 sf) facility houses 18 active learning labs, a new tutoring center, informal student collaboration spaces, and general-purpose classrooms. It improves accessibility and consolidates general, life, and organic chemistry science programs from two other buildings, providing a more centralized learning environment.
As a state-funded project, Fraser Hall aligns with Minnesota’s Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond (B3) guidelines and the Sustainable Building (SB) 2030 Energy Standards to improve initial and long-term operations. The building’s combination of high-performance systems, daylight, passive solar shading, and high-efficiency mechanical systems are anticipated to achieve an 80 percent reduction in energy use.
Built in 1928, Fraser Hall’s original architect Clarence H. Johnston, Sr., designed the building as a two-story law library set within the campus plan created by Cass Gilbert. No significant structural upgrades had been made since its expansion in the 1950s, prior to its repurposing for science and engineering studies. In its new form, the building continues to serve as a contributing property to the Northrop Mall Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The grand re-opening was held on Oct. 29, 2025, two years after Mortenson Construction began the renovation and construction. To create the updated, unified and expanded Fraser Hall, its older additions and a portion of the existing building were demolished. Renovations were made to the remaining 2,183.2 m2 (23,500 sf) and an 8,732.9 m2 (94,000 sf), five-floor addition with a penthouse was newly constructed. Construction was completed in August 2025 ahead of the 2025-26 academic year.
“There’s a shiny, new building in Minneapolis overlooking the banks of the Mississippi River that is more than just beautiful,” announced the University of Minnesota’s CSE website. “The new Undergraduate Chemistry Teaching Laboratories in Fraser Hall will transform the way chemistry is taught at the University of Minnesota and fuel the state and nation’s high-tech workforce.”
The copper anodize finish helps give Fraser Hall’s aluminum facade its “shine.” More than 92.9 m2 (1,000 sf) of suspended shade fins showcase the specialty copper-colored finish. This proprietary formulation will not patina over time, ensuring the building will retain its rich metallic, modern, yet timeless appearance.
The shading system was custom-fabricated and installed by M.G. McGrath. The aluminum shade fins feature a curved profile with perforations. Each fin composes a vertical blade attached directly into the glass and aluminum curtain wall.
Shaded by the copper screen, the curtain wall offers prime views of the Mississippi River and the surrounding campus. Welcoming natural light deep into the interior core without inviting glare on the monitors and screens. The high-performance, thermally broken, aluminum framing system and low-e glass further contribute to comfortable learning spaces where students can concentrate and collaborate.
The anodized finish is an integral part of the aluminum substrate created through the process of electrochemically controlling, accelerating, and enhancing oxidation. The finishing service provider’s environmentally responsible process produces a uniform oxide film of exceptional hardness that protects the aluminum from deterioration.
After the anodizing is completed, the finishing service provider’s proprietary, three-step electrolytic coloring method involves depositing small amounts of real copper into the anodic pores using an electric current. The resulting finish remains a bright copper color, which does not patina over time. It does not require a clear coat or ongoing treatment to maintain color stability.
Further contributing to Fraser Hall’s long lifecycle, its finished aluminum resists the ravages of time, temperature, corrosion, humidity, and warping, meeting the industry-leading AAMA 611 Class I specification. Protecting and maintaining the structural integrity of the aluminum, it retains exceptional hardness and lasting durability. Anodized aluminum is an inert, noncombustible material that is 100 percent recyclable and poses no health risks.
“The finished aluminum is readily available, easily formed, extremely durable, and can be recycled at the end of its long life on the building,” added Tammy Schroeder, marketing director for Apogee Architectural Metals.
Complementing its distinctive metallic aesthetic, a custom “Fraser Gray” painted finish was specified for the additional building envelope components, including the curtain wall.
Curtain wall, coatings, and color
The aluminum-framed swing entrance doors easily integrate into the curtain wall for a complete building envelope system. Meeting the building’s energy-efficiency and performance requirements, the 57.2 mm (2.3 in.) aluminum-framed system is tested to meet thermal, acoustic, structural, and air, water, condensation resistance criteria. Glazed from either the interior or exterior, it also supports accurate and fast installation in the field.
To match the curtain wall’s finished framing members, the finishing service painted the many sunshade attachments and brake metal pieces in varying gray colors. These high-performance, durable 70 percent fluoropolymer coatings meet the industry-leading AAMA 2605 standard. Using environmentally responsible, quality-controlled factory finishing processes, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in liquid paint coatings are safely managed and destroyed before the finished material arrives at the jobsite.
Adding to the curtain wall’s beauty and functionality, a combination of art glass and bird-friendly glass coatings were incorporated. The colorful, vertical glass mural by artist Dyani White Hawk is titled, “Through the Pursuit of Understanding Our Connectivity, We Care for Our World.” Her artwork was hand-painted and then digitally printed onto the glass.
Daylight-fueled learning spaces
“In the new building there’s lots of windows compared to the last,” says Julia Emila Toledo, a chemistry and pre-med undergraduate student. “That’ll make it really motivating to learn with all of the sunlight coming in when you’re learning both in lecture and lab, as opposed to just staying in a large lecture hall without any windows.”
“Equipping our students with the skills required to make an impact is important for the future of our state, region, and nation,” says University of Minnesota CSE’s dean, Andrew Alleyne. “This project puts us on the leading edge of instruction and will fuel generations of change-makers who support innovation and industry.”
“This new building shows how much people care about students and their futures,” says Talia Glinberg, a chemistry undergraduate student. “This building changes the way students learn, makes them feel they belong, and shows we’re all in this together.”
“The new building is tangible proof that the University is interested in modernizing education for the undergraduate students here,” says Tucker Besel, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical physics and experienced chemistry teaching assistant.
“This space is built for how students actually learn today,” says Besel. “The old chemistry labs were crowded, noisy, and outdated.” Besel adds, “The new design encourages teamwork and critical thinking… It’s a space that reflects the caliber of science, teaching, and innovation at the University of Minnesota.”
About one-third of University of Minnesota undergraduates, approximately 5,000 students from 120 different majors, will take classes in Fraser Hall’s new chemistry labs.
