Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Dartmouth Completes New Engineering & Computer Science Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/02/22

Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., recently finished construction on a new academic building for engineering & computer science students. The Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center (Class of 1982 Center) covers 165,000 square feet, stands four stories (plus a mechanical penthouse and three floors of underground parking), and serves as both the largest construction project in the school’s history and the second-largest academic building on campus, according to a news release.

The new facility includes research and teaching space in fields like bio-tech, energy technologies, cybersecurity and more. “Virtually every device and every piece of hardware have software embedded in them,” said Joseph Helble, former dean of the Thayer School of Engineering. “As a result, bringing computer science and engineering together seamlessly in one facility where students can interact with both faculties without barriers between them is even more important.”

Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center
Photo credit: HGA and Anton Grassl

Dartmouth partnered with national design firm HGA for the building’s design. The firm incorporated features like glass walls, collaboration spaces and a vast central atrium to give the building a sense of openness and transparency. “At the heart of the Class of 1982 center is an atrium that fosters interaction and collaboration and promotes synergies between fields that spark discovery and innovation,” said HGA Principal Samir Srouji, AIA, LEED AP. “Natural light is brought into the atrium through a series of wooden coffers illuminating the multiple levels of connections and gathering spaces.”

Dartmouth also partnered with contractor Turner Construction Company.

The facility was also designed with sustainability in mind to optimize energy efficiency, water efficiency and occupant well-being. It’s currently registered as LEED v3 for New Construction, and officials are anticipating a LEED Platinum certification.

A full list of collaborators includes:

  • VanZelm Engineers: MEP/FP
  • LeMessurier: Structural
  • Engineering Ventures: Civil
  • Michael Van Valkenburgh: Landscape Architect
  • Mohar Design: Interior Design
  • Cavanaugh Tocci: Audio Visual
  • Acentech: Acoustic/IT/Security
  • Turner Construction Company: Contractor

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.