BUILT TO LAST:
New ME Building ready for generations of innovation
 ore than 250 college faculty, staff, students,
alumni and friends gathered in the soaring main atrium of the new Mechanical
Engineering Building one crisp October morning, eager to celebrate a
new engineering feat: the building itself.
Shared by the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and
the Department of
Mechanical Engineering, the stately Italian Renaissance-style building
recently underwent a $50.5 million construction and renovation project—the
only major overhaul since its construction in 1930—that now will
give its occupants technological flexibility for years to come. The
College of Engineering dedicated the building in an October 26 ceremony
in the building atrium.
“This is a long-awaited, exciting day for all of us: For the planners,
donors, builders and alumni; for faculty, staff and students,”
College of Engineering Dean
Paul Peercy remarked during the dedication. “In these modern
facilities, our talented faculty and staff will lead us into a new age
of knowledge and discovery, while preparing new generations of engineers
to deal with challenges that are growing in scope and complexity.”
After the ceremony, the department held an open house,
giving guests the opportunity to explore the new laboratory space and
learn about projects in many of the research labs and centers from the
faculty and graduate students who run them. “This is a space that
will enable meaningful, cutting-edge research for the next century,”
says Roxann
Engelstad, professor and chair of mechanical engineering. “The
building supports the great diversity of research within our department,
yet facilitates opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and projects.”
The lab spaces were designed to accommodate future advancements in technology
or changes in research directions. The research areas are outfitted
with increased power capabilities and a state-of-the-art heating, ventilation
and air conditioning system—critical features for research, says
Associate Professor
Nicola Ferrier, who directs the Robotics
and Intelligent Systems Laboratory. In addition to these provisions
for future equipment needs, all four floors can support up to 200 pounds
per square foot, giving researchers the flexibility to add or move equipment
as their fields evolve. “There really is the sense that I could
change or adapt,” says Ferrier. “I could get new equipment
and not have to worry about how I would power the room, or whether I’d
be able to get the equipment to run.”
To read more about this milestone, visit
www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/34.1.
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