The LEED Gold Washkewicz College of Engineering addition expanded the existing 90-year-old Fenn Hall to support new laboratory spaces for chemical/biomedical engineering, civil/environmental engineering, electrical/computer engineering, e...ngineering technology and mechanical engineering, including simulation and computational labs, research labs, and a multi-story maker space. Flexible, functional, and state-of-the-art, the facility advances the school of engineering's mission to "support an engaged engineering education, graduating ready-to-go engineers who are prepared to solve real-world challenges."
To place the college ideally on the restrictive urban site, the facility became a window into the program: collaboration, research, and innovation spaces are positioned along the primary facade, which is completely transparent to the urban street. Special attention was given to the integration of the project with the street scape, and the control of rainwater and runoff in ways that support healthy surrounding ecosystems.
