Animals in the Psychology-Math building will be able to breathe easier in a couple of months.

The animal facility in the building will undergo renovations to the air exchange system currently in operation.

Mia Jazo, Capital Development Board spokesperson, said the total budget for the project is $269,931.

Jazo said the majority of the funds will be coming from the Build Illinois project, so NIU will be paying a minimal amount of money for the renovation.

NIU Psychology Professor James Willott said the primary focus of the project is to upgrade the air conditioning and heating equipment in a number of rooms in the building.

Construction was set to begin last week, but changes in the plans have put the project on hold.

Willott said the changes are beneficial. “We found ways to save money, so we took out some aspects of the project and plans have to be redrawn,” he said.

The new plans are expected to be completed and approved in the next few days, he said.

Willott said the reason for the renovation is to come up to date with new federal guidelines.

“The National Institute of Health has guidelines which are always being changed, and we have to comply with them,” he said. “This renovation will make the facility state-of-the-art.”

The animals will not have to leave the building during the construction, but will have to be moved to different rooms from time to time.

Tom Wroblewski, NIU architect, said the construction should last for about six months from the beginning of the project.

The animal facility for the Biological Sciences department was recently renovated through the Build Illinois project as well, and that project is near completion, Willott said.