FY26 Classroom Refresh Design Science & Research 2 Bldg #551 in Houston, TX

The University of Houston is renovating two existing classrooms, 128 and 129, within Building 551 on the Cullen Boulevard campus. This project, filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) as the FY26 Classroom Refresh Design Science & Research 2 Bldg #551, involves a renovation and alteration of 1,480 square feet of space. The estimated cost for this specific scope of work is $300,000, resulting in a cost of $203 per square foot. Construction is scheduled to finish in January 2027.

Located at 3455 Cullen Blvd in Houston, Harris County, the project is privately funded on private land for private use. The owner of record is the University of Houston, which is undertaking this refresh to update the instructional environment in Building 551. The scope is strictly limited to the refresh of the two named classrooms, indicating a targeted improvement rather than a full-building renovation. The project was registered with TDLR in April 2026, establishing its place in the state’s accessibility compliance records.

Design and Construction Details

THIEL Design Group serves as the design firm of record for this project. Janel Carona Bloom is the registered accessibility specialist associated with the filing. The plan review process was completed in May 2026, and the TDLR status is listed as Review Complete. Construction was set to start in May 2026, aligning with the completion of the administrative review phase. The scheduled build window spans from May 2026 to January 2027.

Compared to other renovation and alteration filings in Harris County, this project’s estimated cost of $300,000 is above the county median of $250,000. The size of 1,480 square feet is smaller than the county median of 4,000 square feet for similar work types. The cost per square foot of $203 is above the county median of $80. The scheduled build window of 275 days is longer than the county median of 92 days for comparable projects. These figures are computed from TDLR filings in the region.

The University of Houston has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $110,264,777 in the area. THIEL Design Group has six other projects totaling $5,431,000, including work for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Houston. The ZIP code 77204 has a population of about 4,056 according to U.S. Census American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. The Harris County unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in July 2026, higher than a year earlier, according to FRED data.