Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Clemson Adds Outdoor Lab Site for Construction Science Students

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/22/20

A South Carolina university has just set up a three-acre site to give their construction students a permanent space for hands-on learning. Students in Clemson University's Nieri Family Department of Construction Science and Management will be able to use the "Experiential Learning (XL) Yard" to construct full-scale structures and try out construction equipment. The new yard includes an 1,800-square-foot learning center.

Experiential Learning Yard. Image Credit: Clemson University Relations

All of the department's students — 250-plus — will take classes at the site, including a safety course and a construction science workshop.

"It's really our outdoor laboratory for construction," said Mike Jackson, chair of the department, in a university article.

The classroom and yard also will also host guest lectures by construction professionals. "They'll bring their expertise to the classroom," added Richard Gauthier, the department's experiential learning program coordinator. "Some will also bring equipment to work with in the yard."

The prompt for developing the space came from the students themselves, who told the university in surveys that they'd like more "hands-on experiences." Students in the program are required to complete 800 hours of internships prior to graduation.

Up to now those students have gained a lot of their practical experience by working on initiatives such as Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that builds homes for low-income people who put in sweat equity. Each fall, over the course of a month, students build a Habitat house in connection with homecoming. Those houses are transported to sites in the county, where the new homeowners occupy them.

While that "time-honored project" will continue, students will also be able to construct smaller structures — tiny houses and gazebos — for auctioning off to support future projects at the XL Yard.

The yard was made possible through multiple donations. The classroom was donated by Michael Nieri, a graduate and founder and president of home developer Great Southern Homes. In 2019 Nieri and his wife donated $5 million to the department, which now carries the family name.

"Our corporate partners have been very generous," said Jackson. "We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of industry supporters at Clemson and in the Nieri Family Department of Construction Science and Management."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • California District Opens New Robotics Center

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Cupertino, Calif., recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for a new, district-wide Robotics Center, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility was designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA); Landmark Constructors served as the builder and Blach Construction as general construction manager.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.