Zachry Engineering Education Complex

Client
Texas A&M University
Services
Architectural Design, Interior Design, Program Validation, Laboratory and Academic Facility Planning, FF&E Design
Specialty
Higher Education
Location
College Station, TX
Cost
$170.9M
Size
530,000 GSF
Project type
Renovation and new construction
Partner
Ayers Saint Gross

Reimagining how engineering students learn

The College of Engineering at Texas A&M University has a dynamic vision of growth—to increase enrollment to 25,000 students by 2025. Part of their goal to reach this target includes building upon the iconic legacy of their engineering program and providing the space necessary to support growth. The Zachry Engineering Education Complex is the solution to both.

They all seem thrilled with the facility. They love the learning stairs. It’s an area where you can sit on the stairs and charge your computer etc. and they sprawl—not sit—on the stairs.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, Former Dean of Engineering at Texas A&M University
Zachry Engineering Education Complex student commons design

Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering needed to create a new student-centric facility without doubling existing space. Through a complete renovation and addition to the 1972 Zachry Engineering Center—already a landmark destination for students and alumni—the College was able to do just that. Flexible laboratories, expandable technological capabilities, hundreds of square feet of glass paneling, and a true dedication to changing the way students learn has created a facility like no other in the country.

79% increase in space efficiency: flexible laboratory spaces allowed the 14 departments within the College to consolidate 200,000 square feet of instructional lab space within 42,000 square feet.


A destination at the Texas A&M University campus

Every design solution provides students with the resources and environment necessary to ensure their success, immersing undergraduates in both engineering and in student life. A destination for the campus, Zachry houses a variety of student-centered environments that encourage interaction and collaboration.

Spaces include technology-rich learning studios, makerspace, interdisciplinary open and flexible laboratories, event spaces, conference rooms and training areas, informal meeting and study spaces, administrative spaces, office suites, and a cafe retail space. Not only is the new complex the largest and most innovative building on campus—it celebrates the diversity of engineering students and disciplines by putting engineering on display.

If a student can dream of anything—it can be built here. Everything from metal to wood to 3D printing to electronics to software to machine learning to self-driving cars.

Rodney Boehm, Director, Engineering Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M Engineering

Awards

  • 2019 Reconstruction Gold Award, Building Design + Construction
  • 2019 Eminent Conceptor Award, American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas
  • 2019 Gold Medal Engineering Excellence Award, American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas
  • 2021 Project Excellence (APEX) Gold Award, Associated General Contractors of America – Houston Chapter

Project contact

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