DALLAS — The Texas Woman’s Univer­sity Board of Regents approved another $21 million in tuition revenue bonds to renovate and expand the science building on the university’s Denton campus.

The bonds, which will be sold sometime this summer, will be added to $5 million that was appropriated earlier for the project. Construction will likely begin this fall.

The project includes renovating the old science building into offices and classrooms, constructing a three-story connector between the old building and a new wing, and adding laboratories in the new wing.

Chancellor Ann Stuart pointed out that the overall design keeps the character of the original building — one of the oldest on campus.

Labs in the new building will better support students’ needs, particularly in nursing, Regent Harry Crumpacker said.

The expansion will extend south of the existing building, according to Harold Johnson, associate vice president for facilities management and construction.

The building’s design includes many energy-saving features, which has been an ongoing effort at the university, Johnson said.

“We always design to LEEDS [Leader­ship in Energy and Environmental Design], but we don’t seek its certification,” Johnson said.

Because LEEDS certification is completed by a third party, it can sometimes slow down construction and add to the cost of the project, Johnson said.

“You have to wait for someone to come and check things off,” Johnson said.

However, the university has always told the architects and contractors working for them that they want buildings as “green” as possible, unless the item being considered costs more upfront.

Even then, the university won’t rule out a pricey option if it saves energy in the long run.

“We’ll discuss it,” Johnson said.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com .