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<\/a>At 186,000 square feet and 100 feet tall, the new engineering building replaces the 98,000 square feet found in the five outdated engineering structures that were razed to make way for the new facility. The new facility is state of the art, in terms of architectural design and engineering. The bold design uses three trusses, similar to those used in bridges, which span more than 150 feet of open space inside. There is significant use of glass on the exterior and on interior walls of the building, which allows the building to feel open and collaborative.<\/p>\n
The new building is allowing the 溏心vlog免费B站 Engineering program to increase enrollment. \u201cCurrent and prospective students are excited about what is going on here,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIn 2007, our enrollment was under 1,000, but it is now, 1,550. We expect that our enrollment will grow as this building becomes operational.\u201d<\/p>\n On the ground-level floor, there will be two, 72-seat active classrooms and a 60-seat active learning classroom. Each of those spaces will contain circular tables and technology that will allow students and faculty members to collaborate. \u201cEngineering is a collaborative discipline. The new complex, with its wide open spaces, glass walls, and hands-on learning, \u00a0is designed around the notion that this collaboration leads to success,\u201d says Dean Wright.<\/p>\n The Quad-level floor will look out to the new Engineering Quadrangle. The quad will feature an exterior patio with seating areas. Inside there will be a caf\u00e9 made of modern composite materials. \u00a0It will be the perfect spot for students and faculty to gather and grab a bite to eat or a beverage between classes. The cafe will accommodate approximately 110 people.<\/p>\n A glass-walled space will allow observers to see into senior capstone project space for seven engineering programs. The first floor will also house the College\u2019s dedicated student shop. It will also be home to two computer labs and two electronic student centers.<\/p>\n Ninety individual faculty offices will be located on three floors, as well six, 12-seat conference rooms and six faculty lounges. Three floors of the Bridge will house research labs, and the fourth floor will house labs for the college\u2019s Smart Cities disciplines and robotics programs.<\/p>\n At Bliss Hall, the entire building has been gutted and all of the windows are being replaced with historically appropriate modern windows. New plumbing, mechanical, fire prevention and electrical infrastructure are also part of the upgrade. The expanded facility will also house student organization space, student work rooms and several general assignment classrooms. The second and third floors will house the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The ground floor will be some Department of Civil Engineering labs.<\/p>\n The Bliss Hall part of the project received about $378,000 in support from the Governor\u2019s Commissions on Disability to upgrade building access, including new doorways and a new elevator, with another grant proposal pending for fiscal year 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a particularly generous grant from the Governor\u2019s Commission,\u201d said Paul DePace , director of capital projects at 溏心vlog免费B站. \u201cThis support enables us to turn one of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s historic granite buildings into a welcoming and accessible facility for students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>