Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Drexel University: College of Engineering Innovation Studio

  • 09/01/18
Drexel University

PHOTOS © PAUL BARTHOLOMEW and © JEFFREY TOTARO

For Drexel University’s reimagined College of Engineering “Innovation Studio,” Philadelphia’s Coscia Moos Architecture combined the raw edges of makerspace with bright color, glass volumes, and environments designed to encourage interaction and collaboration. The 55,000-square-foot adaptive reuse of a former warehouse puts a sophisticated spin on engineering education for the Philadelphia-based institution.

The design transfers the engineering student experience beyond the academic classroom into an entrepreneurial environment that fosters creativity, exploration, and discovery. By consolidating freshman teaching labs from locations across campus, relocating select electrical engineering researchers, and establishing a home for the university’s new Institute for Energy and the Environment (IExE), the design encourages undergraduate and grad students of all ages and faculty to comingle, share ideas, and elevate Drexel’s STEM education.

Drexel and Coscia Moos envisioned the new facility as a critical part of students’ contributions to the Maker Movement, a trend toward design and development of products brought to market better, faster, and at a lower cost. In fact, freshmen in the College of Engineering work throughout their first year on hands-on multidisciplinary projects encompassing all areas of engineering. They learn to collaborate in teams, solve problems, and experience the real-world challenges of engineers, skills that inform the remainder of their education.

The carefully planned environment features writable walls, acoustical partitions to subdivide the space, movable tables, varied seating, ample electrical outlets, and a host of devices, including 3D printers, welding and electrical testing equipment, heavy machinery, and a wet lab.

Interspersed among the makerspaces are offices and glass-box conference rooms that quite literally put dialogue in the center of the action.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • KWK Architects Announces Full Transition to Lawrence Group Branding

    KWK Architects recently announced that it will complete its transition to the Lawrence Group brand effective July 1, according to a news release. The merger marks the end of a three-year strategic integration process that began in March 2023 to unite the firms.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.