Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Tennessee University Starts Construction on New Engineering Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/06/23

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

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.

  • 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.

  • Auburn University Debuts $224M STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., recently opened its new $224-million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex, the largest research construction project in the university’s history, according to university news. The facility measures more than 265,000 square feet and brings six departments from the College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics together under one roof.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.