VILLANOVA, Pa.—Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, today announced plans for a 150,000 square-foot addition to the College of Engineering’s primary academic building, the Center for Engineering Education and Research. This major space expansion reflects a bold 21st-century vision for the College that will dramatically transform the facility, strengthening one of the University’s key STEM spaces and furthering Villanova’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and innovative teaching and learning.
“We know that facilities play a significant role in the overall student experience, which is why upgrading and modernizing our academic spaces is a key focus of our current Strategic Plan, Rooted. Restless.,” said Father Donohue. “In true Villanova fashion, every aspect of the project—from the placement of faculty offices to lab configuration and gathering spaces—is the result of a collaborative process aimed at fostering connections and facilitating collaborative discovery and cross-disciplinary advances.”
The 150,000 square foot addition will more than double the existing 90,000 square foot building, resulting in a 63% increase in overall teaching and research lab space—allowing all the College’s departments to be in one location.
Features of the building addition will include:
- 11 flexible laboratory spaces designed for multi-disciplinary teams to work together on topical areas of research.
- State-of-the-art instruction spaces that can adapt to various teaching and lecture formats.
- A two-story Innovation Lab, which will include workspaces, tools and equipment for building, and space to accommodate large-scale project work.
- Various sustainable design features to support the Villanova and College of Engineering commitment to sustainability, including a green roof for teaching and research, instrumented with smart systems to collect and monitor climate and soil moisture data.