Tennessee University Starts Construction on New Engineering Facility

Middle Tennessee State University recently announced that construction of a new Applied Engineering Building has begun on its campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn., according to a news release. The facility will play home to the university’s Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering programs, and it will also include space for future programs as industry needs develop and change. The university partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers and Cooper Carry for the project’s design.

The new facility will stand three stories and cover 90,000 square feet. It will include amenities like flexible learning and lab spaces; lobbies that will feature student projects and technology displays; gathering areas; and lecture space for academic instruction, guest speakers, student organizations, and special events, the news release reports. It will also offer research laboratory space to both students and faculty to support emerging technologies as well as experiential and integrative learning.

“[The Applied Engineering Building] represents a new phase in the life of the department—a progression into a new era of possibilities for our faculty and students,” said Greg Van Patten, Dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “It will completely alter how the faculty in the Engineering Technology Department will teach and how our students will learn. The cutting-edge facilities and new equipment will provide opportunities for our faculty to pursue research projects that are not possible at MTSU today which will, in turn, help us continue to attract and retain the very top-talented students and faculty.”

According to local news, the project comes with a budget of $74.8 million and is scheduled for completion during summer or fall of 2025. University President Sidney A. McPhee said that the project “will be the finishing touch to what we’ve named the Science Corridor of Innovation that began in 2014 that began with the opening of our $147-million Science Building, the single largest investment by the state of Tennessee for an academic facility.”

The new facility will also contain at least $1.2-million in new or donated technology, according to McPhee and Engineering Technology Chair Ken Currie. Equipment will include the Dexcom/Automation Nth FlexBases, the Gould Mechatronics Robotics lab, and the Co-Bot Workplace Development Center, according to local news.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 20 to celebrate the beginning of construction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • New Jersey PreK–12 School Breaks Ground on New STEM Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently announced that it has broken ground on the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the design of the new facility, which will provide the school with space to expand its STEM and business education classes.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

Digital Edition