UPDATE: Mechanical Engineering Building project

Artist's rendition of the future Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Building (south-side view) (36K JPG)

This fall, the University of Wisconsin Foundation officially announced Create the Future: The Wisconsin Campaign. The campaign invites people who care about the university to share in the opportunity to capitalize on its strengths. Philanthropic investment in UW-Madison holds the promise of tremendous return on the investment as the university applies its resources to increase understanding of the world and find answers to society's most critical problems.

Modern, flexible space for research and education is essential to keeping the College of Engineering in a leadership position in the coming decades. This fall, the college has begun making final preparations to begin construction on another new building which is strategic to its vision for the future.

The new Mechanical Engineering Building is the next step toward this vision. Built in 1930, the Mechanical Engineering Building has not had a major renovation. Many of its current facilities are unable to adequately support modern education and research activities. The college plans to create a 21st century building by first demolishing the "Sawtooth" portion in the center of the building. A new building will rise in its place, with four stories of modern education and research facilities and one floor for mechanical systems to support the building.

As soon as that phase is completed, the existing Mechanical Engineering Building will be completely renovated. New electrical and data infrastructure will be installed, creating modern education and research facilities and providing handicapped accessibility. The historic façade of the original building will be retained.

The design team has been working for the past year on this project, and the college has recently received final approval on the building design. The building is another public-private partnership between the State of Wisconsin and alumni and friends of the college. The state has committed $23 million to the project, with the remainder of the $46 million total construction cost coming from private funds. Many alumni and friends are stepping forward to provide the private component. This summer, major gifts were received that were critical for obtaining final approval of the project plans. (See "ME alumnus donates $1 million.")

With the continued interest and support of department alumni, the college will strive to meet its challenges.