Weber State University is continuing to grow its campuses through major construction projects, with one new building nearly ready for use and another expected to open in fall 2022.

The university saw the completion of two large projects last year, with the solar panel parking array at the Ogden campus finishing just before fall semester started and the October ribbon-cutting of the Computer and Automotive Engineering Building at Davis campus in Layton.

The newest addition to the university, the Outdoor Adventure and Welcome Center, will serve dual purposes—a place for incoming students to be orientated and access campus resources and a new home for WSU’s outdoor program. The site for the new building is on Village Drive, just north of Wildcat Village, the university’s main residential complex at the Ogden campus.

The new building gives the university a chance to showcase the opportunities offered by the unique location of the campus. Ogden and the surrounding area have recently become something of a mecca for outdoor sports such as skiing, hiking and rock climbing.

“Over the past decade, the increase in demand for outdoor access and education has propelled the WSU outdoor program into one of the premier programs in the state and country,” an informational booklet for the new building states. The building features a 55-foot climbing wall and a rescue training area featuring windows used to simulate an emergency situation.

A three-story, state-of-the-art rope-access training center will be used to train people for recreation or working on tall structures in the Work at Height Training certification course. Other certifications offered by the outdoor program include the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) programs for mountain climbing, wilderness first aid, and avalanche rescue training.

The Outdoor Adventure and Welcome Center is expected to open by late January. The outdoor program’s rental center, which offers a selection of sports gear for students to rent, will be closed on Jan. 19 as it moves into the building, the program’s website said.

The next major project on WSU’s construction agenda, the Noorda Engineering, Applied Science and Technology Building, began in June 2020 to replace the demolished Technical Education Building at the Ogden campus.

The building takes its name from a donor: the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation. Ray Noorda, an Ogden native, is sometimes called the “Father of Network Computing” and known for many important advancements in his field, according to a 2006 obituary.

The Noorda building will house programs such as mechanical engineering, computer science, professional sales and several others, covering approximately 135,000 square feet. The university expects the building to be ready for the fall 2022 semester.

Students interested to see the progress of the Noorda building construction can view a live video feed of the site on the WSU website.