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

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • 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.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • AAADM Announces Building Safety Month Initiatives

    The American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) recently announced its support of Building Safety Month as declared by the International Code Council (ICC), according to a news release.