The old Science Center of Iowa building will receive $1 million of renovations to bring it up to state school building standards by August.

Last month the city of Des Moines approved a 20-year lease of the building to house the Academy, a non-faith-based pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school. The school will hold 115 students and 12 full-time teachers.

David Phillips, director of strategic planning for the Academy, said the renovations will included a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, fire sprinklers, new windows and bathrooms and other modifications that will bring the building up to code for the city and state.

“It’s an ambitious project,” he said. “The industry calls this a fast-track construction project.”

In the next few weeks, Phillips said, demolition will begin in preparation for adding new eight-foot windows in all of the classrooms and moving HVAC equipment to the roof.

“It’s a building in an 80-acre park and it’s an ideal location,” Phillips said. “We’re all thrilled and can’t wait to get in the new building.”