New Engineering Building On the Horizon

[Korbermeister]

I would suggest leaving the area between this new building and the CAIT building empty and use it as a greenway/thruway, connecting the future mall with the student center complex. In fact with all the density in this area they should maybe think about underground parking or a deck somewhere on this campus

 

[PeteGiam07]

Depends what is in B & D and what will be located in the new Gateway building, but greenway would look nice.

From what I remember B is home to an engineering lecture hall and Deans/Administration office. Makes sense to move these offices and a lecture hall in the new building.

D is trickier as it is mostly the Mechanical engineering wing with at least one lab room. The largest engineering computer lab (which has more powerfull computers for drafting drawing programs and other specialized engineering programs etc...) is also located in D or B, but I can't remember which one.

I'm pretty sure the "architect" (like the guy from the matrix) that deals with student emails and server stuff is located in one of the buildings too. I vaguely remember arguing with him that they deleted my Rutgers e-mail while I was in graduate school and had to convince him to give it back to me.

 

[RUseaweed]

Update - It will be named the "Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering."

"The new 100,000 square-foot facility will be built next to the Biomedical Engineering Building and will be the first academic building that people will see when they enter the Busch Campus from Davidson Road."

So not in the place where the original plans had it, behind the civil engineering building in the parking lot. When I visited over break I noticed a bunch of digging going on between the suites and the bio-med building that didn't look to be connected to the new chemistry building...is that the footprint? It was huge.

Total private support raised to date for the construction of the new engineering building is $23.8 million. It will be finished in 2017.

Me right now:

Rutgers Press Release

 

[RUseaweed]

Update:

According to the Status of Significant Projects released last month (found here) Weeks Hall is still in the design phase. I think that's a good thing...here are some new pictures on the SOE website. It looks like a couple of different ideas but they all look pretty terrible compared to the first couple of concept designs on the first page of this thread. The random hanging triangle, mixing brick with composite, the wind turbines on top...it will look disgustingly out of place. I really hope they don't follow through with the more radical of these concepts.

 

[Korbermeister]

it looks fine

 

[Scarlet Pride]

I liked the earlier renderings and I like these as well.

 

[rufancoe00]

I think Weeks Hall will be much scaled down from the original Gateway concept...

 

[derleider]

I liked the earlier renderings and I like these as well.

Same here. I dont think it will look particularly out of place on Busch. The brick ties it into the rest of campus without being a clone of other buildings. To me the real defining factor will be what exactly is the material used for the gray part. That is a huge issue with the new Lot 8, and could be an issue here too.

 

[Leonard23]

It's great that we raised private $ for this.
I prefer the original rendering. Looks like 1/3 or more of the purple lot will be gone with this & then much of the rest later when other buildings & renovations from the master plan are started.

As for those that complained about not having 1 building for your major or professional school, I've experienced both & much prefer moving around campus or campuses to different buildings or it starts to feel like prison. For instance, I'd much rather have UConn's mini law school campus of a few buildings in a quad over Rutgers (& most law schools) 1 building law school or b-school. UConn Law in Hartford:

 

[RUseaweed]

Looks like 1/3 or more of the purple lot will be gone with this & then much of the rest later when other buildings & renovations from the master plan are started.

This is not going in the purple lot like the original design mentioned. It is going next to the student center and in front of the Biomedical Engineering Building. McCormick Suite is to the right in this rendering and the Biomedical Engineering Building is to the left behind some of the trees.

 

[Leonard23]

This is not going in the purple lot like the original design mentioned. It is going next to the student center and in front of the Biomedical Engineering Building. McCormick Suite is to the right in this rendering and the Biomedical Engineering Building is to the left behind some of the trees.

Ah, ok, thanks. Purple lot will live a little longer then.

 

[derleider]

Ah, ok, thanks. Purple lot will live a little longer then.

So this is in the auxiliary silver lot?

 

[PeteGiam07]

Seems strange to switch lots like that.... I feel like that means the current concrete building will be around even longer now.

 

[RUseaweed]

Here are some new shots.

 

[PeteGiam07]

Im still surprised by the location change.....That is telling me the old engineering building is here for a long while.

 

[Waiohine]

Im still surprised by the location change.....That is telling me the old engineering building is here for a long while.

Not necessarily. The main purpose for the change was to anchor the empty corner of the campus towards McCormick from the Student Center (especially as the new road will run through here and past the new Chem building). The two will put an 'edge' on a long undefined campus sprawl. Also, to my understanding, a second engineering building (well, third if you count the Biomed building) is still a medium term priority. Probably still behind the new Marine Science digs, but a priority. If it can connect with industry, then it goes to the front of the queue (to a degree at least)...

I hated these designs when I first saw them. But I'm coming around. With Biomed, it also creates an engineering quad, which is great. Busch needs more spaces like this.

 

[RUnTeX]

Looks like they had to fit it in tight in order to go in that spot. Doesn't seem like as prominent a spot as I would think relative to the potential significance of the proposed building as the Engineering Gateway building, assuming that's what it is still meant to be (besides it's formal name as Weeks Eng'g Hall). That is the Robeson Cultural Center located to the right on that last overhead rendering, right?

 

[PeteGiam07]

Not necessarily. The main purpose for the change was to anchor the empty corner of the campus towards McCormick from the Student Center (especially as the new road will run through here and past the new Chem building). The two will put an 'edge' on a long undefined campus sprawl. Also, to my understanding, a second engineering building (well, third if you count the Biomed building) is still a medium term priority. Probably still behind the new Marine Science digs, but a priority. If it can connect with industry, then it goes to the front of the queue (to a degree at least)...

I hated these designs when I first saw them. But I'm coming around. With Biomed, it also creates an engineering quad, which is great. Busch needs more spaces like this.

Busch has a huge quad. The old renderings made it even bigger if they eve tually demolished most of the old engineering building.

There must be more to this move perhaps they have other plans where the building was supposed to go.

 

[RUseaweed]

That is the Robeson Cultural Center located to the right on that last overhead rendering, right?

Correct.

 

[PeteGiam07]

Groundbreaking on this is may 6th

 

[DanceAppreciationTA]

Groundbreaking on this is may 6th

Did they have the groundbreaking? and does anyone know if the second building @Waiohine mentioned is happening?

I wonder if it would look better if they changed the color scheme on the new design

 

[PeteGiam07]

Did they have the groundbreaking? and does anyone know if the second building @Waiohine mentioned is happening?

I wonder if it would look better if they changed the color scheme on the new design

Yes, they were started utility work/site grading before the groundbreaking. I haven't been over there since June, but progress was made since I was there in May.

 

[RUnTeX]

Makes sense....contractor's on a schedule to deliver. Undoubtedly, groundbreakings tend to get scheduled once a date is picked that all or a majority of the dignitaries/stakeholders that are invited to participate are available. Meanwhile, the dirt has long started to get pushed around.

 

[CERU00]

Here are some new shots.

That thing is hideous... And it'll be there for generations as a reminder of an era of architectural ugliness much like everything built in the 60s.

 

[RUnTeX]

Not a big fan of the design. Asymmetry is one thing, but even the configuration of windows on the long side elevations is odd. Maybe they had a good reason for it but just looks choppy to me. At the end of the day, whatever.....at least it's a new facility, which should help the engineering school's reputation.

 

[T2Kplus10]

That thing is hideous... And it'll be there for generations as a reminder of an era of architectural ugliness much like everything built in the 60s.

Wow, this building is ugly. Why are we so stupid when it comes to the architecture of new buildings? Stop with the fad designs.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Wow, this building is ugly. Why are we so stupid when it comes to the architecture of new buildings? Stop with the fad designs.

I could get completely plastered on my libation of choice and design something better than that.

 

[PeteGiam07]

As a Civil Engineering undergrad and graduate I can't tell you how much this space was needed. It was borderline embarrassing going to that Civil Engineering trailer to obtain my graduate degree...

 

[T2Kplus10]

View embedded media

As a Civil Engineering undergrad and graduate I can't tell you how much this space was needed. It was borderline embarrassing going to that Civil Engineering trailer to obtain my graduate degree...

Great to have a new building, but the design is asinine and ugly.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Great to have a new building, but the design is asinine and ugly.

 

[PeteGiam07]

New business school building was the worst rendering ever according to this board... then it was built. Got to give it a chance.

 

[T2Kplus10]

New business school building was the worst rendering ever according to this board... then it was built. Got to give it a chance.

And it still looks awful, silly fad design which will look outdated within 10 years.

 

[PeteGiam07]

And it still looks awful, silly fad design which will look outdated within 10 years.

You hate your life don't you?

 

[T2Kplus10]

You hate your life don't you?

Get off my lawn! :)

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

UConn's law school campus was originally a seminary that was later purchased by the school. That's why it has gothic architecture and it looks like a small campus. I do like the idea of a campus of buildings vs. one building.

By the way, show me an engineering campus that does not have ugly buildings. When my son and I visited several colleges to see their engineering schools, in most cases, the engineering buildings were the ugliest buildings on campus. It's almost like it's an unwritten law of architecture for engineering schools - make them functional, not beautiful. Even at MIT, which has one large beautiful main building surrounded by nondescript modern architecture, the network wires run along the ceiling of the hallways, almost as a statement of pride about technology

-Scarlet Jerry

 

[DJ Spanky]

Get off my lawn! :)

 

[RUseaweed]

Here's a live webcam of construction.

I'm in town and drove around campus yesterday. I'm still bummed about the style they went with. The suites that Weeks Hall is right next to, the Bio-medical Engineering Building, the new Chemistry building are all within 300 yards of one another and all look incredibly different. It's such a lost opportunity.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

Even with this design, we will have the coolest looking engineering building in New Jersey. Here are some others:

Princeton School of Engineering

New Rowan College of Engineering (looks like our Livingston Dining Hall

-Scarlet Jerry

 

[RUseaweed]

Princeton School of Engineering

That is a picture of Princeton Engineering and Technology in India.

 

[Korbermeister]

That is a picture of Princeton Engineering and Technology in India.

You've cleared up the reason why I'd never seen the building in campus in Princeton, NJ