Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Maine Opens New Engineering, Design Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/01/22

The University of Maine in Orono, Maine, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center (Ferland EEDC) on Wednesday, Aug. 24. The new facility will play home to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Program and teaching labs for the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program. A university press release reports that the new building will let the university expand its engineering enrollment by 600 additional students per year.

The facility measures in at 115,000 square feet, and construction began in May 2020. A virtual groundbreaking ceremony took place in April 2020 and a virtual topping-off ceremony in February 2021. The university partnered with WBRC Architects Engineers and Ellenzweig for the project’s architecture and design and with Consigli Construction for construction.

It features amenities like the Student Project Design Suite, which includes 44 workbenches to be assigned to students, as well as areas for electronics, vehicles, biomedical engineering, 3D printing, wood, metals and composites, according to the press release. It also houses the Campus Welcome and STEM Outreach Center.

“This state-of-the-art center at our R1 university will allow us to produce more engineering and computing and information science professionals that Maine needs to grow its economy and be competitive in the world,” said UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “This facility is a tribute to the forward thinking and leadership of three Legislatures and two Governors on behalf of the people of Maine and stakeholders who know the value of a UMaine education and hands-on research learning and the difference it makes in the success of its students, alumni and the state.”

The total cost of the project was about $78 million, $50 million of which came from an investment by the state of Maine.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.