Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Chapman University Debuts New Hall of Engineering

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/09/22

Chapman University in Orange, Calif., recently opened a new home for its engineering school. The Swenson Family Hall of Engineering was created through a 31,000-square-foot interior build-out of the university’s existing Keck Center for Science and Engineering. The new wing occupies three floors and features amenities like research and teaching labs, a makerspace and robotics lab, and more. Both the Swenson Family Hall of Engineering and the Keck Center were built by C.W. Driver Companies.

“We were honored to partner with Chapman University in constructing a both beautiful and highly functional hall for its newest academic program, the Fowler School of Engineering,” said Aimee Siemianowski, project executive with C.W. Driver Companies. “Our long history of constructing higher education and research facilities for Chapman University and colleges across the state enabled us to deliver a cutting-edge facility designed to foster collaboration, reconfiguration and blur the lines between teaching and education.”

Swenson Family Hall of Engineering
Photo credit: Lawrence Anderson

The new wing’s first level serves as a collaborative student space and features a large gallery that connects to the rest of the Keck Center. The second floor includes research pods, teaching labs and study alcoves, while the third features a faculty suite that includes workspaces, meeting space and collaboration zones. The facility is named after Jim Swenson and the Swenson Family Foundation, which previously contributed $5 million to Chapman University.

“The opening of the Keck Center’s science wing in 2018 signaled a tremendous step forward in the STEM fields at Chapman University,” said Collette Creppell, vice president of campus planning and design at Chapman University. “Thanks to the valuable expertise of C.W. Driver Companies in building the Swenson Family Hall of Engineering, our new Fowler School of Engineering has a place to call its own. The facility will be paramount to attracting high-quality faculty and talented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate-level study of engineering, which in turn will help meet the growing demands of the California economy.”

The university and C.W. Driver Companies also partnered with AC Martin Partners, Inc. for the facility’s design.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.