AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new engineering building is set to open in 2026 at the University of Texas at Austin and pays homage to an oil pioneer and UT alumnus.

It is named after Autry C. Stephens, a billionaire in the Texas energy industry, who died in 2024. It is a 210,000-square-foot facility, which "represents the interdisciplinary nature of energy research" at UT, per a news release from UT.

The building will "become the home of the Cockrell School of Engineering's Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering," UT Austin said. It will have large labs, flipped classrooms and lecture halls. The building will also connect to the existing Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering building, according to UT. • Rendering of Cockrell School

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