Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Prairie View A&M University Debuts New Academic Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/18/24

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

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Barbara Vick Western Branch has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.