Life Sciences Building
Built in 2014
Life Sciences Building: Where We Began (1970)
For over four decades, the John A. Widtsoe Building stood as a cornerstone of life sciences at Brigham Young University. Towering nine stories above ground and extending two levels below, the structure offered nearly 184,000 square feet of space dedicated to laboratories and faculty offices. Completed in the summer of 1970, the building was named in honor of Elder John A. Widtsoe, a Norwegian immigrant, agricultural scientist, and apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His pioneering work in dry farming earned him international recognition, including a term as president of the International Dry-Farming Congress in 1912.
Widtsoe’s legacy was deeply woven into BYU’s history. A respected educator, he founded the university’s agricultural science program in the early 1900s and was known for his passionate belief in the harmony of science and religion. His life’s work embodied BYU’s mission to seek truth through both spiritual and intellectual means. Naming the life sciences laboratory after him was not just a tribute to his scientific accomplishments, but to his enduring role in shaping BYU’s identity. Over the years, the building became more than just functional, it became, in the words of University Communications, a “campus icon.”
But as time passed, the Widtsoe Building began to show its age. Its walls contained asbestos, its lighting systems included mercury, and its structural design lacked modern earthquake safety measures. Even more fundamentally, the building no longer reflected the collaborative and mentorship-based approaches that modern science education demanded. Though it had once symbolized progress and innovation, the Widtsoe Building had become outdated, a relic of a different era in education.
In 2011, BYU announced plans to replace the aging structure with a new Life Sciences Building, one that would better serve the needs of students and faculty alike. The decision to raze the Widtsoe was not made lightly. It marked the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new chapter in BYU’s scientific legacy. As the university moved forward with state-of-the-art facilities, it continued to honor the pioneering spirit of John A. Widtsoe, an apostle, a scientist, and a believer in the power of education to change lives.
Life Sciences Building: Where We Are Now
Constructed in 2014, the Life Sciences Building (LSB) stands as a modern replacement for the well-loved John A. Widtsoe Building, which faithfully served BYU’s life science programs for over 40 years. The old building had become outdated, lacking in both structural safety and modern pedagogical flexibility. In contrast, the Life Science Building was designed to reflect a new era of collaboration, innovation, and student-focused learning. Dedicated by then, Apostle Russell M. Nelson, who called it “a blessing” and “a place to confront the questions shared between science and religion,” the building marks a milestone in the evolution of life science education at BYU.
Today, the Life Science Building is home to the School of Life Sciences and houses majors such as biology, neuroscience, and genetics. Uniquely, BYU is one of the few universities that offers undergraduate anatomy courses with actual cadaver labs, which are located in this building. In total, the Life Science Building spans 265,000 square feet over five levels, containing 24 teaching labs, three auditoriums, four conference rooms, and more than 70 academic offices. It houses state-of-the-art research spaces, where students and faculty engage in cutting-edge work, studying everything from fungal pathogens and cancer-fighting techniques to gene editing and cellular biology.
The heart of the building is its second level, known as the “student floor.” Designed intentionally to foster interaction and mentorship, this floor includes common areas, study spaces, vending machines, computer labs, the advisement center, and all 16 of the building’s teaching labs. The floor functions as both a learning hub and a community space, an embodiment of BYU’s commitment to hands-on inspired learning.
Architecturally, the Life Science Building is a thoughtful representation of the life sciences it supports. Designed by architect Tim Thomas, the building’s design reflects a mountain with a river running through the center, symbolized by the central glass staircase that ascends through the building’s core. The red brick exterior becomes lighter as you climb higher, creating a sense of progression and elevation. Like the disciplines it houses, the Life Science Building bridges the natural world and human inquiry, anchoring BYU’s legacy of faith-inspired scientific exploration while looking boldly to the future.