Looking Toward The Future
SSOE, in association with design partner SmithGroup, partnered with Georgia Southern University on the design and implementation of their state-of-the-art Engineering Research Building. The facility has been designed for success through supporting regional business and industry, and institutional evolution by supporting new and future interdisciplinary opportunities through long-term conversion from academic to research laboratories. The three-story building is the largest building on campus; however, great care was taken to ensure it fits in well with its context. The building provides a new visual center for the University’s newly created and rapidly growing Manufacturing Engineering Department, as this interdisciplinary research facility includes Mechanical Engineering, Computer, Electrical, and Civil Engineering components.
Uniquely Designed Laboratories
To support the University and the Paulson College of Engineering and Computing now and into the future, the facility is designed to allow laboratories that are currently focused on academics to easily become research-oriented laboratories. There are 33 unique laboratories ranging from Additive Manufacturing (Metallic 3D Printing), Industrial Robotics and Automation, Nanomaterials, Bio-Additive Manufacturing, a Clean Lab, and an open rooftop lab space. One of the most striking spaces is a high bay multi-user research lab that is the length of a football field. The facility also includes a number of supporting classrooms; graduate student, faculty, and administrative office spaces; and a conferencing-event space to host a wide variety of events. A designated tour route provides views into the labs and high bay overlooks that showcase the ongoing research for local and regional business and industry partners.
