Wentworth Institute of Technology: Center for Engineering, Innovation, and Sciences

Wentworth Institute of Technology 

PHOTOS © ALBERT VECERKA / ESTO

The advancement of technologies for fabrication and the increased interest of educators of hands-on learning environments has prompted a proliferation of makerspaces in college and universities nationwide. The new 75,000-square-foot Center for Engineering, Innovation, and Sciences at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, comprises a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment for such collaboration among students of biology, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and two of the Institute’s newest programs, biomedical and biological engineering.

Open to the quad on one side, a city street on another, and the campus circulation spine on a third, the building’s fully glazed first floor was designed to advertise the activity inside and entice students to participate in the creativity they see from outside. The public lobby is a gathering venue that can be transformed from a collection of informal furniture to a lecture space and a building-long display that exhibits student work. Vertical bifold glass doors on the quad allow public visibility as well as an easy flow from inside to outside to allow work to be moved into and out of the building. The Center’s academic makerspace is on the other side of the lobby, facing the city street.

The goal for the interior of these spaces was to be as flexible as possible in order to adapt to student needs. Tables can be flipped and nested, chairs can be stacked, whiteboards can be brought in and out, and modular, stackable wooden boxes can become stools, benches, and sitting steps. Proximity to tools for fabrication was also a design priority, and they are easily accessible in an adjacent room. Two dedicated project rooms also line one wall, and even these can be opened up to become a larger project space in this new breakthrough facility.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

  • AP Construction Breaks Ground on Two Projects for Austin ISD

    Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) recently announced that it has broken ground on two renovation projects for the Austin Independent School District, according to a news release. The work at McCallum and Anderson High Schools totals 97,350 square feet and is scheduled for completion in January 2027.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • FAU Starts Construction on Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building

    Florida Atlantic University recently began construction on a new academic building for its campus in Boca Raton, Fla., according to university news. The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will stand two stories, measure in at 22,000 square feet, and play home to the university’s Holocaust education and Jewish studies programs.

Digital Edition