University of Arkansas Civil Engineering Research Center Breaks Ground

FAYETTEVILLE, AR –Leaders from across Arkansas gathered in early November to celebrate the groundbreaking of the University of Arkansas’ Civil Engineering Research and Education Center at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park. Known as CEREC, the 37,400-square-foot, $13.8-million facility will serve as a research and teaching space for the Department of Civil Engineering and will be a resource for academic, government, and industrial partners across Arkansas.

UArkansas Civil Engineering 500

The space includes a high-bay structural testing facility with a four-foot thick “strong-floor” capable of testing large-scale structural systems and components. It will also house a 25-ton rail crane to move heavy materials.

The facility will be the first of its kind in Arkansas. Currently, large-scale structural components must be sent out of state for testing. CEREC will allow academic, industry, and government researchers to conduct cutting-edge experimental research in-state.CEREC will also serve as a living laboratory for several hundred students annually, and the facility has space for 15 faculty members to conduct research.

The project is expected to be complete in spring 2021, with the first classes set to start in the fall of that year.

Featured

  • 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.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.