Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Tennessee University Starts Construction on New Engineering Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/06/23

Middle Tennessee State University recently announced that construction of a new Applied Engineering Building has begun on its campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn., according to a news release. The facility will play home to the university’s Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering programs, and it will also include space for future programs as industry needs develop and change. The university partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers and Cooper Carry for the project’s design.

The new facility will stand three stories and cover 90,000 square feet. It will include amenities like flexible learning and lab spaces; lobbies that will feature student projects and technology displays; gathering areas; and lecture space for academic instruction, guest speakers, student organizations, and special events, the news release reports. It will also offer research laboratory space to both students and faculty to support emerging technologies as well as experiential and integrative learning.

“[The Applied Engineering Building] represents a new phase in the life of the department—a progression into a new era of possibilities for our faculty and students,” said Greg Van Patten, Dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “It will completely alter how the faculty in the Engineering Technology Department will teach and how our students will learn. The cutting-edge facilities and new equipment will provide opportunities for our faculty to pursue research projects that are not possible at MTSU today which will, in turn, help us continue to attract and retain the very top-talented students and faculty.”

According to local news, the project comes with a budget of $74.8 million and is scheduled for completion during summer or fall of 2025. University President Sidney A. McPhee said that the project “will be the finishing touch to what we’ve named the Science Corridor of Innovation that began in 2014 that began with the opening of our $147-million Science Building, the single largest investment by the state of Tennessee for an academic facility.”

The new facility will also contain at least $1.2-million in new or donated technology, according to McPhee and Engineering Technology Chair Ken Currie. Equipment will include the Dexcom/Automation Nth FlexBases, the Gould Mechatronics Robotics lab, and the Co-Bot Workplace Development Center, according to local news.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 20 to celebrate the beginning of construction.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.