What You Need to Know��

• The project team marked a topping-out milestone for the Saban Center now rising in Tuscaloosa’s River District.��

• Plans call for a 118,000-square-foot complex on a 7.71-acre site along the Black Warrior River, with a 70-foot glass tower as a centerpiece.��

• Campus partners named include the State of Alabama STEM Hub, the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre and IGNITE (formerly the Children’s Hands-On Museum).��

• Design/delivery partners cited include Steinberg Hart (with Davis Architects), Stone Building Company,��CambridgeSeven��and Theatre Projects.��

Learn More��

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Saban Center reached a key construction benchmark March 30 as crews and project partners celebrated the building’s topping out at the future STEM-and-arts��learning campus in Tuscaloosa’s River District.��

The facility, described as a first-of-its-kind campus combining science, technology, engineering and math with arts programming, is expected to open in 2027.��

The marble-clad complex is being designed by Steinberg Hart in collaboration with Birmingham-based Davis Architects, with Stone Building Company serving as general contractor. Newly released renderings depict a series of curved pavilions connected to a transparent central tower.��

“Saban Center is deeply personal to us—we’ve been involved every step of the way, working closely with the design team to shape a place where children of all ages can explore their curiosity and imagine what’s possible for their futures,” according to��.��

Renderings also show the building set into a natural slope on the 7.71-acre site, intended to reduce the perceived height at street level while creating a prominent landmark from the north. Project materials describe multiple outdoor approaches meant to position the campus as a public, inclusive destination for families and school groups.��

The exterior facade is planned to use locally sourced recycled marble from the Alabama Marble Mineral & Mining Company. Inside, the design team selected regionally sourced woods and metals as part of a sustainability approach that emphasizes local sourcing, material��reuse��and resilient construction.��

At the center of the complex, a 70-foot glass tower is expected to house an 18-foot illuminated globe described in project materials as a beacon for the evolving River District and a symbol of discovery and innovation.��

Led by Nick and Terry Saban and Nick’s Kids Foundation in partnership with the City of Tuscaloosa, the campus is being delivered through a public-private collaboration that also includes the State of Alabama, which plans to��establish��the State of Alabama STEM Hub on-site.��

Project leaders framed the building design as integral to the learning mission. “The design of the Saban Center reflects a shared belief that architecture can actively support learning and discovery,” according to��.��

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox also positioned the campus as a workforce-development asset, saying Saban Center “will be a catalyst for building Alabama’s future-ready workforce.”

This article is based on reporting originally published by Saban Center on March 30, 2026.��

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By��Eric��Jay��Toll

Career readiness education is implemented through multiple methodologies, increasingly adopted by��numerous��school districts, particularly within states such as Arizona. These approaches may include academies that integrate traditional core curricula with career-oriented instruction, as well as Career and Technical Education (CTE), which deliver specialized technical��education and certifications��aligned with specific trades or professions. The associated campuses and facilities are purposefully designed to equip students with educational experiences that prepare them for future careers.��

Each unique educational setting is customized to align with��particular industries,��occupations��or career trajectories,��necessitating��facilities that enable educators to effectively prepare students for their intended professions.��

“There are more diverse learning pathways available today than ever before,”��said��Tyler Shupe,��senior��director��of��Education Services��at McCarthy Building Companies��in Phoenix.������

Shupe works with school districts on behalf of McCarthy. He sees districts recognizing��that��career focused��education��is��of��growing��interest��to��communities,��students��and employers.��Responding to the��call,��they��are��customizing��learning spaces, whether��by��renovating an existing campus, expanding it, or building��entirely new facilities.��

��Shupe��has��led��several of these��education��projects in the Greater Phoenix area. Two��of these��include the��currently under construction��Agua Fria Union High School District’s��(AFHSD)��new��Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater��campus in Litchfield Park, Arizona,��and the��recently completed��Northeast��Campus expansion��of��Western Maricopa Education Center, known as West-MEC, in��North��Phoenix.��

Designing Schools to Mirror the Workplace

A career- or arts-focused curriculum changes how the school must be designed compared with a traditional comprehensive high school, according to Shupe. The intention is to��create learning spaces that replicate the working environment.��

“Most academies and CTE spaces require not only a classroom for learning, but also a hands-on learning space,” Shupe explained.��“Students get time in the classroom and time learning by doing, and every program has its own classroom, lab, and space designed just for it.”����

In addition to the arts and CTE, academy high schools are being built or expanded to include current technology facilities for technology, manufacturing, healthcare��and��trades��education, and other specialized careers that might not require a four-year college degree for career starts.��

For West-MEC, McCarthy��recently��expanded its CTE for welding and advanced manufacturing. At Hilltop, the new $75 million campus��blends��both��high-tech��high school��classrooms with��facilities��for literary, visual, performing and media/digital arts programs. Undertaking such tasks goes beyond design and building.��

“Across our district, I’ve seen how specialty learning environments truly change the way students connect with their education,” said��Mark Yslas, Superintendent for��AFHSD.��“Whether��it’s��hands-on career programs, advanced academics, or real-world learning experiences, these spaces are built around our students’ interests and goals. By creating environments that reflect industry, innovation, and creativity,��we’re��helping ensure our students graduate prepared for whatever path they choose.”��

Community Partnerships Shape Campus Development

Developing a specialized high school program requires strong collaboration with the community. For��AFHSD, the Hilltop project presented��challenges, which��is��common��for initiatives that have a focused purpose. The campus is��being built��on��the site of��a historic��estate, with an application underway for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.��As the highest point in the city,��The��Hilltop is physically prominent and serves as a central feature in the District’s Academies of the Southwest transformation.������

“The historic estate residences remain on-site and are in the process of being transformed into museum spaces,”��Shupe said,��as he numbered off all the stakeholders in this project beyond just the high school district administration, teachers and interested parents.��“The��property is owned by the City of Litchfield Park and leased to��AFHSD,��to��expand arts opportunities for students and residents alike,��an example of strong community partnerships��in action.”��

Aligning Education with Regional Workforce Demand

West-MEC has an entirely��different set��of collaborators. The Phoenix area has become��the��Silicon Desert. Taiwan-based TSMC is building one of the largest chip fabrication plants in the world. With it, Greater Phoenix is seeing extensive industrial��development,����and��electric-vehicle and associated parts manufacturing. With the volume of new businesses, there is an insatiable demand for well-trained future employees.��

“West MEC establishes industry advisory committees for each program,” Shupe explained. “These committees guide the district on emerging skills and priorities for student learning. West MEC then equips students with the certifications they need to transition directly into the workforce upon graduation.”��

Built at the district’s Northeast Campus, the $13.5 million project totals��16,500 square feet��of advanced manufacturing floor space, complete with a clean room and industry-standard equipment. Also included is an electric vehicle bay that they outfitted to create a next-generation teaching facility for EV technology.��

“Our programs are built in partnership with the community and industries we serve,” said West-MEC Superintendent Dr. Scott Spurgeon. “That collaboration ensures West-MEC students are��trained on current technology and workforce expectations, strengthening both individual career pathways and our regional economy.”��

Experience and Coordination Drive Successful Outcomes

CTE curriculum and facilities��isn’t��something new for McCarthy. Shupe said that the construction company has partnered with West-MEC��over the last fifteen years��on three other campuses and many other school districts on a variety of��other CTE programs��and spaces.��

“We understand the importance��of hearing from��industry leaders��and working closely with the district and��our design partners��to provide��a��highly productive��learning environment that’s state-of-the-art,” he said.��“We bring our��expertise��in��school construction to these projects and��work through a process that��incorporates feedback along with best practices to achieve the goals of the district and its��stakeholders.��We’re��all focused on student success, which makes these projects particularly rewarding.”����

Building today’s��career-oriented��learning��campuses,��renovating��or expanding an existing facility requires unique experience, from understanding project��objectives��and��collaborating with the community, to knowing how to build a successful school.��

“We learn as much��about��the project as we can, the needs of the client, and how the building is going to be used,”��said��Shupe. “Every program is unique, and we start by understanding what needs to go into that space.��“The effort involves a higher degree of coordination than what’s needed for conventional construction projects.”��

Eric Jay Toll��is��a freelance writer and Communications Manager for the city of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department.��

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By Lindsey Coulter

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville City Schools has broken ground on a new shared campus that will house two rebuilt elementary schools, marking a major milestone in the district’s 10-year capital plan.

The project will replace Montview Elementary School and the Academy for Science and Foreign Language (ASFL) Elementary, a citywide STEM magnet program that will be reimagined and renamed when it moves to the new site. The campus will be constructed on Montview Elementary’s existing property, transforming the 18-acre site into a modern facility serving both neighborhood and magnet students.

The approximately $56 million project calls for a single 110,000-square-foot building, with each school occupying about 55,000 square feet. Both schools will serve students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Construction is scheduled to begin this month, and the campus is expected to open in August 2027.

Although they will share a building, the schools will operate in dedicated spaces tailored to their instructional needs. Montview Elementary will continue serving the Lee High School feeder pattern and include specialized classrooms, flex labs, a full-size gym, safe rooms and multiple age-appropriate playgrounds.

The new STEM magnet school will support students from across Huntsville and feature STEM laboratories, interactive teaching walls, flexible learning rooms and multi-use spaces aligned with its curriculum.

“This groundbreaking represents our promise in Huntsville City Schools to deliver the very best for students, and progress is already happening inside our classrooms each and every day,” Superintendent Dr. Clarence Sutton said. “On the recent state report cards, Montview Elementary rose to a B, and ASFL Elementary rose to an A. Our capital plan and strategic plan are working hand-in-hand to support students and empower teachers.”

The district credited its project partners, including architect McMillan Pazdan Smith, TCU Consulting Services and contractor First Team Inc.

District leaders said the campus will honor Montview’s long-standing presence while creating an innovative environment for future generations. The effort is part of Huntsville City Schools’ wider plan to modernize learning facilities and expand academic opportunities across the system.

McMillan Pazdan Smith is serving as architect for the $49.8 million construction contract. Max White is the project manager, and Randy Jones will serve as superintendent for the build.

This marks the second significant construction milestone for HCS in 2025, as HCS opened its new central office and Huntsville Center for Technology campus in August. The $60 million investment aims to strengthen district operations and expand career training opportunities for students and marked a major step in HCS’ long-term effort to modernize its infrastructure and enhance student preparedness for future careers.

The 40,000-square-foot central office now serves as the district’s administrative headquarters, consolidating roughly 150 employees under one roof and improving collaboration and streamlining operations.

Located on the same campus, the 81,000-square-foot Huntsville Center for Technology serves approximately 600 students. The career and technical education hub offers programs in industrial technology, welding, culinary arts, cosmetology, health sciences, precision machining and other career pathways. The project was designed by Nola Van Peursem Architects and was constructed by Lee Builders Inc.

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University (NKU) has officially broken ground on an expansion project that will add 85,400 square feet to the Dorothy Westerman Hermann Science Center. University leaders and stakeholders held a ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the project. ��

The $86 million expansion will enhance both lab resources and research centers while prioritizing collaboration. The building will house academic programs and STEM-focused disciplines within one state-of-the-art building. In addition to the new construction,19,000 square feet of the existing science center will also be renovated. The large public entrance will be made into a plaza, and the lobby will be a two-story atrium.��

The project was largely driven by increased student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematic programs. The Hermann Science Center initially opened in 2002, and since then student interest in STEM-focused programs has steadily risen by 50%. ��

“The new facility will provide our natural sciences and engineering technology programs with a competitive edge, supporting our growing enrollment in these critical fields while allowing us to continue to provide an accessible and high-quality education for all,” said Cady Short-Thompson, NKU president in a statement to the university’s website. “It underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence in STEM+Health education and research, positioning NKU as a regional leader in innovation, workforce alignment and academic achievement.”����

The added space will physically accommodate growing enrollment in science-related studies by implementing new technology, upgraded instrumentation and offering a centralized environment for cross-disciplinary studies from biology to mathematics. Seven new labs with computing and engineering capabilities will be included in the project as well as labs focusing on anatomy and physiology to support pre-medicine and health studies. Geological sciences will also be receiving two new and expanded labs for their studies. Open lounge and study spaces will be accessible on every floor of the new space, and student advising will be supported through the addition of more than 50 faculty and student advising offices.��

The new facility also opens doors for an increase in external research funding and networking capabilities by way of the location’s close proximity to the Norse Network Hub, a resource center intended to connect students and greater community in leveraging partnerships and opportunity. ��

Approximately $79.9 million of the project budget comes from a capital investment approved by the Kentucky General Assembly in the 2022-2024 biennial budget. An additional $6 million is being provided by the 2022 General Assembly as part of asset preservation funds.����

Design on the project is being led by Lexington, Ky.-based Omni Architects, the same firm that originally designed the Hermann Science Center in 1997. Skanska USA Building Inc, will manage construction. The addition is expected to be completed by spring 2027. ��

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FORTVILLE, Ind.—Structural engineering firm O’Donnell & Naccarato has topped out at the Mt. Vernon School District’s 151,000-square-foot Fortville Elementary School, which will serve nearly 1,000 students in grades K-4 when completed.

The $85 million two-story school will offer a media lab, flexible STEM lab, a dual-purpose cafeteria and the latest tech-enabled learning tools throughout.

O’Donnell & Naccarato is working with Indianapolis-based Ratio Architects on fashioning a steel structural system for the school, which will also feature braces and moment frames for added stability.

The school is due to open for the 2025-2026 school year.

“O&N is proud to partner with our colleagues and the Mt. Vernon School District to deliver this state-of-the-art project on time and within budget,” O&N Principal Tom Miltner said at the topping-out ceremony.�� “Students at Fortville Elementary will be equipped with the latest and greatest resources in an innovative space that promotes discovery and growth.”

O’Donnell & Naccarato’s previous structural engineering work for school-related projects in the state includes the McNutt Residence Center at Indiana University.�� In addition to Indianapolis, the firm operates from offices in Orlando, Philadelphia, New York and Miami.

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DALLAS—Stantec has been selected to provide integrated design services for the new 122,000-square-foot Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) building at the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD). The latest addition to the Dallas campus will reflect the logic, rigor, efficiency, and optimism of scientific learning through an innovative design that is clearly and functionally organized. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place Friday, September 29.

The US$79 million, four-story STEM building will house instructional spaces including general purpose “high-flex” classrooms, instructional labs, research space, and wet labs that adapt to facilitate various classes including biology and chemistry disciplines. Support areas will include an instrumentation room, cold room, and dark-enabled room to conduct research and store materials in optimal conditions. In addition, a café, pre-function area, and 200-250 seat classroom/meeting space is situated on the ground level, with a variety of collaboration spaces throughout the building.

Empowering community through education

UNTD’s state-of-the-art facility will improve the lives of students and their families by recruiting, training, and employing a more diverse workforce. Through STEM education, UNTD will create upward mobility to a community of learners and first-generation college students by encouraging curiosity and engagement in the sciences.

In addition, Stantec is collaborating with HarrisonKornberg Architects, a minority-owned firm certified as a historically underutilized business, as well as with local educational and community institutions to encourage employment opportunities and internships, provide new technology for training, and prepare students for science careers.

Design through sustainability and wellness

With a direct tie to the natural beauty of the campus, the STEM building will be surrounded by meaningful outdoor spaces and provide views of a courtyard, promenade, and amphitheater. Exterior gathering areas will promote water conservation through native, drought-resistant, and indigenous plantings that direct rainwater to a natural creek bed.

The interior design focuses on occupant well-being by embracing biophilia as a connection to nature through highly filtered clean air, locally sourced materials, and natural daylight and views. Building efficiency will be achieved through smart control systems and physical mobility is encouraged through easy access to stairwells.

Creating spaces for STEM

Stantec has steadily helped clients across North America respond to evolving academic and STEM learning, with related projects such as: Yale University Science Building; The University of Texas at Dallas Sciences Building; University of Lethbridge Science Commons (with KPMB Architects); West Chester University Sciences & Engineering Center; Central Michigan University Biosciences Building; Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Engineering & Life Sciences Research Building; and The University of Texas at Permian Basin School of Engineering Building.

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SAN FRANCISCO—Architecture firm DLR Group and general contractor McCarthy Building Companies have been hired by the San Francisco Unified School District to build a new school in the city’s bustling Mission Bay neighborhood.

The school will encompass 82,000 square feet of educational space on a 2.5-acre parcel of land. The school will eventually be home to 600 preK-5 grade school students, a STEM-focused learning laboratory as well as office space for SFUSD personnel. DLR’s design plan calls for ground-floor learning space that will connect directly to the outdoors to bring learning out of the classroom itself. The second and third floors will feature learning studios as well as collaborative learning spaces and breakout rooms. Meanwhile, the fourth floor will host a learning lab that focuses specifically on guiding high school students to consider potential career options in the STEM fields.

In a recent release from McCarthy, the firm’s vice president, Jack Carter, said that the addition of the new school was necessary as the Mission Bay area of the city has continued its upward swing in development.

“The addition of this vital piece of infrastructure will not only be a cornerstone within Mission Bay but also allows San Francisco Unified School District the opportunity to develop a school from the ground up to provide for today’s and future students,” he said.

Added DLR Group Principal Christopher McGiff-Brown: “The Mission Bay School will become the nucleus of community life within this vibrant neighborhood. Our team’s design solution expresses the joy of learning with dynamic architecture to create a vivid and welcoming campus for all users.”

Construction is scheduled to commence sometime this year, with the school opening its doors in 2025.

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PHOENIX—McCarthy Building Companies is rolling out the metaphorical welcome mat at South Mountain Community College’s new Science Complex. The $13.6 million project is fully built out, with students anticipated to commence instruction there in the spring.

McCarthy’s job was to meld two existing buildings with an entirely ground-up additional structure to create the SMCC Science Complex, which will eventually serve approximately 5,000 students across the STEM fields.

McCarthy renovated nearly 35,000 square feet of space, and the skeletal structure of those two older buildings were incorporated into the frame for the redesigned complex. This allowed the project to move along at a brisker clip and save money at the same time.

The redesigned Science Complex will host a 19,000-square-foot Physical and Life Science building, and offer state-of-the-art laboratories and support space, faculty offices, classrooms and even a modern cadaver lab—which will help the school’s healthcare students to gain practical knowledge.

McCarthy added structural connections between the previously existing Physical Science and Life Science buildings. Additionally, the general contractor relocated the complex’s botanical garden.

In the fall of 2020, McCarthy previously worked with SMCC personnel to commence the school’s Construction Trades Institute, which offers crash courses in carpentry, framing, electrical and plumbing trades.

“McCarthy values STEM education programs and having the opportunity to be part of making this project a reality in South Phoenix is something we’re all very proud of,” Mike Gonzalez, vice president of McCarthy Building Companies Education group, said in a recent statement. “Thanks to the extensive collaboration with SMCC and its program end-users, the designer and our trade partners, we found solutions to challenges, and this remarkable new Science Complex is being delivered earlier than planned to help more SMCC students pursue their dreams.”

Gensler came aboard the SMCC Science Complex redesign as both architect of record and design architect. Gensler’s design incorporated a “forward-thinking” layout as well as a modern look and feel to the complex.

“We are proud to have an impact on the next generation of STEM leaders in our community with the completion of the new Science Complex,” Martha dePlazaola Abbott, principal and managing director at Gensler Phoenix, said of the project. “The design of the new building enhances the on-campus learning experience with high-functioning classroom spaces and adjacent areas to foster connections and collaboration.”

“Our students deserve a space to pursue their dreams of becoming engineers, scientists and medical professionals,” SMCC President Dr. Shari Olson said of the expansion at her campus. “The community in South Phoenix needed this new facility, and we’re bringing it to them with the latest technology and labs to help students pursue their desired careers.”

Subcontractors at the SMCC project included Urban Energy Solutions Inc., S&H Steel, Wholesale Floors, SKF Tile & Stone, Gothic Landscape, Marks Valley Grading and Kinkaid Civil Construction.

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For generations, educational curriculum has been based on the principles of reading, writing, and arithmetic. While these fundamentals remain, the emphasis in recent years has shifted to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to prepare today’s young learners for high-tech careers. School systems are also focused increasingly on the four C’s – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity – qualities that shape future contributions to the workplace and society as a whole.

These changes have led schools to adopt an integrated curriculum that moves away from a single instructor focused on a single subject, stationed at the front of the classroom, to a model designed to empower students to discover information on their own through creative problem solving and decision making. This approach, according to Education Week, removes the barriers that limit children and separate learning into content areas.

Clearly, these new styles of teaching and learning require new kinds of spaces to support them. Classroom furniture, for example, must be mobile, flexible, and adaptable to allow and encourage movement throughout the day. Mobility allows students to get up from their chairs, while empowering teachers to adjust the classroom configuration as they move through their daily lesson plans. By moving desks, chairs, tables, power sources, and even walls, teachers now have the flexibility for students to tackle individual assignments, work in small groups, or come together as a class to solve problems, often presented on an interactive white board at the front of the room.

Ancillary furniture��(informal furniture and accessories that support a range of postures, including sitting, perching, lounging, and standing) also plays an important role in improving student engagement. Just as it is increasingly seen in office environments to support diverse working styles, ancillary furniture provides students with choices that help them feel more in control, while acknowledging the fact that students have different learning styles. Some prefer to sit by themselves, while others want to work in groups. Some want to sit upright at a traditional desk, while lounging is the preferred posture for others. Walking into a classroom and seeing a variety of comfortable, colorful furniture helps students to feel more engaged and, in turn, makes learning more fun and exciting.

This same approach applies to open spaces, where noise levels and speech privacy are often concerns. To support individuals looking for a quiet place to study or students trying to complete group projects, pods provide privacy and offer another learning option. Sound masking can also be incorporated in open collaboration areas, student hubs, and active learning classrooms to reduce noise transmission.

At the opposite end of the noise spectrum, the school library – traditionally the location for students to quietly immerse themselves in books and periodicals at private carrels or at shared tables where they scribble notes for homework or an upcoming book report – has evolved into a “learning commo” where students and teachers at every level can gather and share knowledge. And because everyone learns differently, the library space must offer a variety of ways to use it.

Today’s learning commons should encourage active learning with comfortable and inviting spaces designed to cultivate student engagement and motivation. Students and teachers must be able to choose between different spaces and furnishings to accommodate their current task at hand, whether it requires heads-down focus, collaborative teamwork, or presentations to a group. And they need the flexibility to reconfigure the space or furnishings as their tasks change.

Just as in the classroom, flexible furniture throughout the library space helps students adapt to different group sizes and tasks. Ideally seating should allow for easy mobility for individual versus group work, and to provide different posture options to match a student’s study needs. Walls, white boards, and tables (many of which have built-in media screens and height-adjustable legs) must also be moveable to enable privacy and offer a choice of working with analog or digital tools.

Beyond flexible learning spaces, the integration of technology obviously plays a pivotal role in keeping students and teachers connected with each other and their peers. When applied properly, technology (computers, mobile devices, digital displays, etc.) can complement the curriculum by assisting students as they gather information and share content. Utilizing intuitive AV equipment, teachers can take advantage of video and audio conference systems to supplement instruction with recorded lessons and demonstrations. These collaborative tools also facilitate viewing a specific lesson multiple times or at a later time, encouraging students to become self-directed learners.

But what is technology without power? Distributing power throughout a space and providing all users with equal access to keep their devices connected is crucial in keeping students engaged. When students don’t have to search for a power source when they see the dying red battery symbol on their devices, they’re better able to stay focused on the lessons at hand. Whether it’s integrated Thread power solutions or Flex mobile power units that students can take with them, providing users with access to power encourages them to study and learn for longer periods.

Whole communities benefit from making schools, classrooms, and libraries more active and better connected. By investing in today’s students and giving them spaces that are better equipped for active learning, we can ensure that the academic and corporate sectors of our society advance in parallel, ultimately building a better workforce for the future.

Maureen Tracy is an Account Executive at dancker (), a leading interior solutions company that fully integrates architectural, furniture, and technology solutions as a one-source provider and logistics manager for corporate, education and healthcare facilities.

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ORANGE, Calif.—C.W. Driver Companies has completed work on the three-story Swenson Family Hall of Engineering at Chapman University, located in Orange.�� The building is named after engineer Jim Swenson and his Swenson Family Foundation, which donated $5 million to Chapman University, and Swenson Hall will house Chapman’s Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering.

Work at the site entailed a 31,000-square-foot buildout of interior space within the extant 49,697-square-foot Keck Center for Science and Engineering, which was constructed by C.W. Driver in 2018 as the permanent home for the Schmid College of Science and Technology and Fowler School of Engineering.�� Swenson Hall increases Chapman’s focus on the STEM fields—and is meant to foster a sense of interdisciplinary collaboration, as students at Swenson Hall will work together on problems facing not just Southern California specifically but the globe more generally.

Over its trio of levels, the Swenson Family Hall of Engineering entails laboratories for both teaching and research, a robotics lab, collaborative spaces, dean’s suite as well as dedicated faculty space.�� The building also features meeting areas and dedicated workspaces.

The design by architecture firm AC Martin Partners, Inc. entails a grand stairwell that connects the uppermost two floors and is thus meant to foster conversation and collaboration outside of the classrooms in an open space.�� Meanwhile, the bottommost level is connected via an “ideation path” with other facilities of the Keck Center for Science and Engineering.

C.W. Driver Companies worked in conjunction with Chapman University’s Campus Planning Department on the project.

“The opening of the Keck Center’s science wing in 2018 signaled a tremendous step forward in the STEM fields at Chapman University,” Collette Creppell, vice president of campus planning and design at Chapman University, said in a recent statement. “Thanks to the valuable expertise of C.W. Driver Companies in building the Swenson Family Hall of Engineering, our new Fowler School of Engineering has a place to call its own.”

Added Aimee Siemianowski, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies: “We were honored to partner with Chapman University in constructing a both beautiful and highly functional hall for its newest academic program, the Fowler School of Engineering.�� Our long history of constructing higher education and research facilities for Chapman University and colleges across the state enabled us to deliver a cutting-edge facility designed to foster collaboration, reconfiguration and blur the lines between teaching and education.”

C.W. Driver has also worked on numerous other educational projects in the Golden State including at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Biola University; Loyola Marymount University; California State University Dominguez Hills; and Orange Coast College.

“The facility will be paramount to attracting high-quality faculty and talented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate-level study of engineering, which in turn will help meet the growing demands of the California economy,” said Creppell of Chapman about the new facility.

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