Tennessee Tech Starts Construction on New ACME Building
Tennessee Tech University recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering (ACME) Building on its campus in Cookeville, Tenn., according to university news. The $89.6-million facility is the second in a recent expansion of the College of Engineering’s buildings on campus. It’s currently scheduled to open at the end of 2028.
The ACME Building will focus mainly on making and creation, containing industry-grade laboratory spaces dedicated to research in “advanced manufacturing and construction, fabrication, machine learning and cyber-physical systems, industrial robotics, mechatronics and concrete and steel manufacturing and testing,” the news release reports.
The project’s funding comes from the State of Tennessee’s fiscal year 2022–23 state budget, supplemented by funds from the 2025–26 fiscal year budget.
“Groundbreakings are a significant moment in a university’s history, and we’ve been fortunate in the last few years to celebrate these quite often. They recognize growth, renewal, energy, vision, relevance—it’s all focused on the future,” said University President Phil Oldham. “We’re investing in the students we currently have and the students yet to come. These groundbreakings remind us of our commitment to tomorrow and our commitment to our purpose: developing top quality graduates to lead our communities, our state and our country.”
The building’s amenities include the Gary Durham Foundry, a smart foundry and lab for metallurgical research and advanced metal casting; a manufacturing lab, PLC lab, and robotics lab; a 10,000-square-foot machine shop and 4,300-square-foot fabrication lab; a computer lab supporting CAD/CAM 3D modeling; a structural testing lab for structures more than 50 feet long; and instructional space, according to the news release.
“The Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering Building will fill a critical gap for the state’s growing manufacturing and construction sectors by providing students with direct hands-on experience with the kind of industry-grade equipment, tools and technology they will encounter in the workplace,” said Joseph C. Slater, College of Engineering dean. “This building—combined with our ABET-accredited programs, strong industry partnerships, robust co-op and internship programs and reputation for producing career-ready graduates—will ensure our students are ready to hit the ground running in manufacturing and construction careers."
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].