Georgia Southern’s new $60 million, 140,625-sf Engineering and Research Building has completed construction. The building was designed to facilitate academic and institutional partnerships, inspire creative engineering, and accelerate academic success for students in the College of Engineering and Computing.
The new facility centralizes various departments and multiple disciplines whose activities previously took place in three buildings. The building will enhance the university’s research capabilities as well as opportunities for faculty to engage students in hands-on research and teaching projects.
Applied research spaces with a strong focus on manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering are all housed in the three-story building. Workspaces can be easily reconfigured for various uses, projects, and applications while also providing students with access to industry-grade equipment and expanded opportunities for undergraduate research.
In total the building houses more than 35 labs including robotics and automated manufacturing labs, a traditional and CNC finishing lab, a materials science and characterization lab, an industrial instrumentation and controls lab, a joining and welding lab, and a renewable energy roof deck lab (solar, wind, weather). Metal and non-metal 3D-printing spaces are also included.
The building also includes one of the Southeast’s only Class 3 cleanrooms, which is necessary for manufacturing or scientific research that requires and environment with very low levels of pollutants such as dust, microbes, vapors, or aerosol particles.
21 research spaces, six classrooms, four conference rooms, 27 offices, and a 1,500-sf colloquium space with a 500-sf balcony are also included.
SmithGroup was the project architect. JE Dunn Construction built the facility.
Related Stories
Higher Education | Oct 24, 2022
Wellesley College science complex modernizes facility while preserving architectural heritage
A recently completed expansion and renovation of Wellesley College’s science complex yielded a modernized structure for 21st century STEM education while preserving important historical features.
BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022
The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them
Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.
University Buildings | Oct 18, 2022
A carbon-neutral-ready university campus opens in Hong Kong
In early September, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) officially opened its new, KPF-designed campus in Nansha, Guangzhou (GZ).
University Buildings | Oct 7, 2022
Auburn’s new culinary center provides real-world education
The six-story building integrates academic and revenue-generating elements.
| Sep 14, 2022
Indian tribe’s new educational campus supports culturally appropriate education
The Kenaitze Indian Tribe recently opened the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus (Kenai River People’s Learning Place), a new education center in Kenai, Alaska.
University Buildings | Sep 9, 2022
Alan Schlossberg, AIA, LEED AP, joins DesignGroup’s Pittsburgh studio as Regional Practice Leader
Alan Schlossberg, AIA, LEED AP, has joined DesignGroup as a principal of the firm and regional practice leader.
| Sep 2, 2022
New UMass Medical School building enables expanded medical class sizes, research labs
A new nine-story, 350,000 sf biomedical research and education facility under construction at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass., will accommodate larger class sizes and extensive lab space.
| Sep 1, 2022
The University of Iowa opens the new Stanley Museum of Art, a public museum for both discovering and teaching art
The University of Iowa recently completed its new Stanley Museum of Art, a public teaching museum designed by BNIM.
University Buildings | Aug 25, 2022
Higher education, striving for ‘normal’ again, puts student needs at the center of project planning
Sustainability and design flexibility are what higher education clients are seeking consistently, according to the dozen AEC Giants contacted for this article. “University campuses across North America are commissioning new construction projects designed to make existing buildings and energy systems more sustainable, and are building new flexible learning space that bridge the gap between remote and in-person learning,” say Patrick McCafferty, Arup’s Education Business Leader–Americas East region, and Matt Humphries, Education Business Leader in Canada region.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 University Contractors and Construction Management Firms for 2022
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner Contracting, PCL Construction Enterprises, and DPR Construction lead the ranking of the nation's largest university sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
