Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Tennessee State University Gains Approval for New Engineering Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/21/25

Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., recently announced that it has received approval from the Tennessee State Building Commission to build a new engineering building on campus, according to a university news release. The 70,000-square-foot, $50-million facility will play home to the university’s engineering programs and the Applied & Industrial Technology program, providing a consolidated complex for innovation, research, and collaboration. Construction will begin later this year and has an estimated completion date of summer 2027.

“Over the years, our college has experienced significant growth in students, faculty, research, and academic programs,” said Dr. Lin Li, Dean of the College of Engineering. “This facility will provide a world-class space that enhances interdisciplinary collaboration across six undergraduate programs, three master’s programs, and one Ph.D. program. It will also host innovative engineering activities that directly benefit the metro Nashville area and Middle Tennessee.”

The facility features classrooms; computer labs; and a combined total of 30 teaching and research labs, including a Future Energy Lab, Drone Flight and Air Traffic Lab, and an Additive Manufacturing Lab, the news release reports. The university partnered with Melvin Gill & Associates and Bauer Askew Architecture for the project’s design.

“The new engineering building is the first step in elevating Tennessee State University’s engineering program to meet the demands of industry and the state of Tennessee,” said Will Radford, the university’s assistant vice president of Planning, Design, and Construction. “By establishing new partnerships and providing modern facilities, we are positioning TSU engineering students to not only keep pace but to set standards in the industry.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Indiana University Launches Capital Campus in D.C.

    Indiana University recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new IU Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., according to university news. The eight-story facility will provide a central hub for the university’s existing programs and business operations based in D.C., uniting them under one roof and providing the opportunity to expand.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.