Texas A&M University: $100-Million Engineering Building

[Scotch]

Regents pave the way for $100 million engineering building

By HOLLY HUFFMAN

Eagle Staff Writer

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents moved forward Thursday with plans for construction of a $100 million engineering building that will house programs focusing on technology commercialization and interdisciplinary research.

About two-thirds of the Emerging Technologies & Economic Development Interdisciplinary Building will be devoted to biomedical and industrial engineering, both programs with high commercialization possibilities, said Kem Bennett, vice chancellor and dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

The remainder of the 230,000-square-foot facility, to be located on Bizzell Street across from the Zachry Engineering Center on what's now a parking lot, will be earmarked for interdisciplinary research, he said. The new engineering facility will consist of classrooms, research labs, faculty offices and meeting rooms.

"I think probably one of the most exciting things that's happening is the cross-disciplinary work," Bennett said, explaining how the effort was breaking down long-standing barriers between various colleges and departments. "People are starting to work together in these teams."

The plans were approved unanimously Thursday by the Board of Regents Committee on Buildings and Physical Plant. Regent Erle Nye chairs the five-person committee, which includes Regents Phil Adams, Lowry Mays and Ida Clement Steen and Chairman John White, who is not a voting member of the panel. Mays did not attend the meeting.

The proposal now will be submitted to the entire board for a final vote. The full panel is expected to vote Friday.

Plans for the new engineering facility first were outlined in the A&M System Capital Plan, which was approved last fall by the Board of Regents...

[aggie0083]

Growth

[H-Town Man]

Not sure I like the idea of building it across Bizzell, which messes up the symmetry of campus.

I DEFINITELY don't like the idea of building it to either side of the Administration building. How could someone have even thought of that idea?

[aggie0083]

Not sure I like the idea of building it across Bizzell, which messes up the symmetry of campus.

I DEFINITELY don't like the idea of building it to either side of the Administration building. How could someone have even thought of that idea?

It'll be the first major building east of Bizzell, so it'll look out of place - but where else could you put it? The engineering area is full with the exception of the area between TTI and Zachry, the land north of Zachry, and the land east of CE. All of those areas are too small for a building of this magnitude now that the campus master plan limits buildings to 4 stories.

Those "Alternative Locations" are absolutely horrible though. The latest I've heard was that they would build parking garages that would have the same architecture as the Jack K. Williams Administration Building in those spots. They should stick with that idea.

Notice though, that the description of the location in the article doesn't match up with the picture they show (picture shows across from Wisenbaker, not Zachry). I wonder which one is correct.

Edited May 26, 2007 by aggie0083

[keyser]

I happened to be in on some of the meetings with architectural teams bidding to design these buildings. At the time, the locations currently referred to as "alternative" were the designated site. I know that the thing that was getting the architectural teams most excited was the chance to design buildings in such a prominent location as flanking the Administration building. Evidently the regents (or maybe just the chancellor) changed their mind about where they would be located. I think the new location will work a bit better in terms of keeping the Engineering buildings clustered. I hope it doesn't mess up my parking too much, though...

[aggie0083]

I happened to be in on some of the meetings with architectural teams bidding to design these buildings. At the time, the locations currently referred to as "alternative" were the designated site. I know that the thing that was getting the architectural teams most excited was the chance to design buildings in such a prominent location as flanking the Administration building. Evidently the regents (or maybe just the chancellor) changed their mind about where they would be located. I think the new location will work a bit better in terms of keeping the Engineering buildings clustered. I hope it doesn't mess up my parking too much, though...

Interesting. Were their plans to match the architecture of the Academic Building? Were they going to put a building on each side or just one big one one side? Or was anything that specific ever discussed?

The new location will be better in keeping everything together. I liked the idea presented in the campus master plan where parking garages with an facade matching the Administration building flanked it's sides. Maybe they will still do that one day.

I just hope a lot of thought goes into the architecture of such a large building, I'm still not sure what to think of this one:

[keyser]

Interesting. Were their plans to match the architecture of the Academic Building? Were they going to put a building on each side or just one big one one side? Or was anything that specific ever discussed?

There were to be two buildings, one on each side of the Academic building. Longer term, there was to be consideration of allowing for the possibility of future buildings along New Main. Coordinating with (though not necessarily "matching") the Academic building's facade was a prime consideration, and the idea was to further highlight this entrnance to campus. And like I said, it was the thing that the architects seemed to get most excited about. There was even significant discussion about how the biomedical engineering building (which requires stacks and stuff on top) might have a false top floor or something, in order to match architecturally. I'm guessing that with the new location, those considerations might be gone.

And, just to clarify, I had/have no say in the actual decisions - I was just attending to help provide input on needs requirements, and I didn't even meet with all the prospective teams.

[hbcu]

when will these regents spend some cash on Prairie View's football stadium? We have everything else new but that on campus oddly enough....

[aggie0083]

when will these regents spend some cash on Prairie View's football stadium? We have everything else new but that on campus oddly enough....

Athletics funding is separate from academic funding.

[mrfootball]

Do they go out of their way to make sure they're ugly?

[KinkaidAlum]

Do they go out of their way to make sure they're ugly?

I agree. I guess they are just trying to make it fit in with the rest of Aggieland. ATM is easily one of the ugliest campuses I have ever seen. When compared to other large state schools, it is way behind the curve.

[Captain Impossible]

I just hope a lot of thought goes into the architecture of such a large building, I'm still not sure what to think of this one:

the 1968 newton gresham library at sam houston.

hmmmmm.

[hbcu]

package it with a academic center/classroom space and you can push it through....I've never seen how can a campus like PV function without a viable football stadium all these years...you throw that on campus, alot of guys at A&M

for example, would transfer down knowing there's a nice campus with facilities close by...

got to get a PV alum on the board of regents....the president the regents chose for PV.....I see why they did it...thanks

[aggie0083]

package it with a academic center/classroom space and you can push it through....I've never seen how can a campus like PV function without a viable football stadium all these years...you throw that on campus, alot of guys at A&M

for example, would transfer down knowing there's a nice campus with facilities close by...

got to get a PV alum on the board of regents....the president the regents chose for PV.....I see why they did it...thanks

I always thought they should change the name to Texas A&M - Prairie View, but I don't think that will ever happen.

I agree. I guess they are just trying to make it fit in with the rest of Aggieland. ATM is easily one of the ugliest campuses I have ever seen. When compared to other large state schools, it is way behind the curve.

I guess the building looks a little better from other angles:

[hbcu]

The A&M system will push the buttons on architechture....look at PV's architechture building

A&M at Prairie View? Will never happen.....

[aggie0083]

The A&M system will push the buttons on architechture....look at PV's architechture building

A&M at Prairie View? Will never happen.....

Yeah, I know it won't. But, I've always thought it was kind of strange that two of the 11 (or 13) A&M system schools don't have the words "Texas A&M" in their name.

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Texas A&M University at Qatar

Texas A&M University

[Chris]

The Building is beautiful. It has a very nice contemporary style look to it. The price is $100 million?

[hbcu]

PV has as much history as A&M and they are unique in theor own way as the others were geared as satellite campuses

[aggie0083]

The Building is beautiful. It has a very nice contemporary style look to it. The price is $100 million?

That's actually a different building that the thread got on a tangent to.

But, of course the building shown will be the largest on campus only to be triumphed by this $100 million engineering building a few years after.

[aggie0083]

PV has as much history as A&M and they are unique in theor own way as the others were geared as satellite campuses

True.

PV needs to do some marketing to sell the school better.

[hbcu]

I agree 100% as an alumnus and former employee....however, the powers that be think status quo is fine and marketing is non-existant

I worked in athletics but the department has never had much financial support from the school and alumni support ain't going to pay bills.....if the school would buckle down and commit to funding athletics knowing it may not bring in consistent bucks no telling what offshoots would arise though?

The current president thinks he's back at Kentucky and expects minimal financial support from the school and heavy alumni support...that's not how it works at our place.

Edited June 15, 2007 by hbcu

[H-Town Man]

Do they go out of their way to make sure they're ugly?

The building will actually be quite beautiful - see 83's pics.

[aggie0083]

The building will actually be quite beautiful - see 83's pics.

Yeah, it looks better in the close up renderings than in the far away renderings. Of course, they are all just renderings, so I'll save my judgment until I see the real thing completed next year.