The University of Louisville unveiled its new $80 million academic building Tuesday, days before students will fill its more than 50 labs and classrooms during the fall semester.

Fully funded by the state, the Belknap Academic Building fills a “longstanding need for more and better classroom space,” a UofL news release said.

Holding common areas, group study spaces and the university’s new Student Success Center, the building is considered a “one-stop” academic spot for students, UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Many lives will be changed here, and for the better,” said Gov. Matt Bevin at the ceremony, speaking to the building’s potential impact on students.

The rooms, which will mainly be used by undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, use new technology designed to foster innovative teaching methods and boost student engagement, interim Provost Beth Boehm said in the ceremony. There are no chalkboards and transparent slides in the new classrooms, she joked.

Beginning with the demolition of Crawford Gym, the building has been under construction for two years. Now, it is nearly complete, with some construction workers putting the finishing touches on outside brickwork and some dust in the building.

UofL is also wrapping up renovations to its Student Activities Center, which sits caddy-corner to the new academic building, after a multiyear, $40 million renovation project. While the academic building focuses on study and class space, the SAC renovation focused on adding organization meeting and event spaces, along with a revamped restaurant area.

Below are more photos of the new Belknap Academic Building.