Prairie View A&M University Debuts New Academic Building

Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, recently opened a new, three-story Engineering Classroom and Research Building (EnCARB), according to a news release. The 106,000-square-foot facility provides academic, research, and technical space for the university’s Roy G. Perry College of Engineering. The university partnered with integrated design and engineering firm Stantec for the project.

The new building features more than 30 labs for chemical, civil engineering, and mechanical departments, as well as multidisciplinary research in fields like space exploration, data analytics, robotics and artificial intelligence, 3D manufacturing, and more. It also includes built-in flexible spaces to support different pedagogies and a maker space.

“EnCARB will allow PVAMU to take their laboratory instruction and research pursuits to the next level with state-of-the-art facilities that are flexible by design and will allow them to be nimble and adapt in the fast-evolving field of engineering,” said Stantec principal Cynthia Labelle. “Students will learn and grow across many engineering disciplines in a future-focused learning environment.”

EnCARB will also be one of a small number of U.S. facilities to feature a microgravity drop tower for research regarding space-related conditions. Stantec has previously completed STEM-related facilities at universities like Yale, the University of Texas at Dallas, Central Michigan University, and the University of Texas at Permian Basin, according to the news release.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.