Approvals gained, Friend Center construction begins soon

The new education center, to be dedicated during Reunions that year, will be a 70,000-square-foot facility equipped with the latest computer technology

The Friend Center for Engineering Education will be built adjacent to the Computer Science Building. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer. Below is the archi tect's rendering of the building's exterior.

capable of handling graphic presentations and interactive media. The design will support team-centered learning strategies and group learning experiences.

The new building will feature a large auditorium equipped with modern projection and recording equipment. The room will be large enough to provide a proper venue for engineering symposia, an essential experience for upperclassmen and graduate students. Other features of the new center include:

* classrooms of varying size, seating 35 to 85 students;

* precept rooms, seating up to 20, some of which will be located within the library;

* library facilities that will be the most advanced at the University;

* exhibition spaces and common areas to foster the connections between engineering and the liberal arts; and

* facilities for the Multimedia Engineering Computation Atelier (MECA).

"The architects at Pei Cobb Freed and Partner are currently completing the interior design," Dean Golden said. "Design development will be complete by March. The building's footprint and exterior design have been approved by the local zoning board."

The $21-million project will include three stories plus a basement. A new engineering library will fill about 40 percent of the building's space. The library will include precept rooms to facilitate reference use by students working on group projects and will occupy a portion of the first floor and the entire second and third floors.

"The new facility will include more small classrooms and precept rooms than are needed for engineering classes," Dean Golden said. "We expect many classrooms to be scheduled and used by the rest of the campus."

That theme of integration is a key consideration in the design of the new building, which is intended to help bridge the humanities and the engineering school.

"The concept is for this building to be a 'gateway' to the engineering school to encourage people to come and visit us, work with us, and study engineering with us," said SEAS Dean James Wei.

"The new building will be connected to the Computer Science Building and will be accessible from the main campus via McCosh Walk East, which will be redesigned to provide an appropriate connection between engineering and the humanities," he added. "This connection will give a new symbolic importance to McCosh Walk East, as it physically links engineering with the rest of campus."

MECA will be expanded and relocated to the lower level of the Friend Center from its current location in the E-Quad, making it more convenient for the University at large.

The new center is expected to encou rage liberal arts students to increase their investigation and use of technology in their class work and research.

"MECA needs to be positioned to help the university community take full advantage of the collaborative electronic learning facilities being planned for the Friend Center and the resources being envisioned for the new teaching and learning center," Dean Golden said.