UW Madison - Mechanical Engineering Building

Project summary:

The old mechanical engineering building on the UW-Madison campus was technologically behind-the-times and unable to effectively support modern education and research programs. Their new facility provides space for classes and seminars, research labs, and student organization offices and activities. Since no major renovation had been done to the facility in over 70 years, this project was extremely necessary to the vitality and growth of this division of the University. Improving the state of these facilities will surely increase the Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering department's ability to draw the interest of superior faculty and graduate students, which in turn will provide "greater national visibility and prestige."

The newly renovated $44 million UW-Madison Mechanical Engineering building project encompassed a new 5-story (including a penthouse that houses the
mechanical systems supporting the building and a basement level that houses heavy-duty laboratories) addition for academic and research programs, and the
renovation of the existing building. The renovation portion included new electrical and data infrastructure used to support the numerous new modern research
labs, classrooms, and lecture halls; students also now have a common gathering space in the new atrium. A new central HVAC system has taken the place of the
multiple substandard mechanical systems that previously served the facility, and a new elevator increases handicap accessibility to all parts of the building.

Finally, the historical facade of the building was preserved, with the addition of a new main entryway constructed on the main street of the engineering campus.
"The existing Mechanical Engineering building consist[ed] of a three-story 124,000 sq. ft. U-shaped Classical style building constructed in 1931, around a
one-story 22,850 sq. ft. 'saw tooth' roofed building built in 1921." The new facility strives to couple "1920s craftsmanship evident in the existing historic building
with state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory technologies." The old Mechanical Engineering building had "seen engineering evolve from drafting tables to hightech
computers. Today, the ME Building is home to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Industrial Engineering, the
Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program, and the Engineering Physics Nuclear Reactor Laboratory." The new building and renovated space provides
the school with 279,429 gross square feet of space.

Construction took place in two phases. The first phase included demolition of the "saw tooth" structure, relocation of the reactor support labs, and construction of
the 57,400-square-foot addition, which was built inside of the courtyard of an old 3-story U-shaped structure located on the west, north, and east sides of the site
of the addition. Construction of the addition took place while classrooms in the old structure were still being utilized for student instruction. Once construction of
the addition was completed, the owner moved from the old section into the new, and Phase II began with the demolition of the interior of the old building. The
shell of the old structure remained in tact while the construction team rebuilt and refurbished the interior portion of the building, updating existing mechanical and
electrical systems and modernizing and improving teaching and other facilities. A new roof was also placed on the structure. The addition and remodeling project
helped to Òrelieve overcrowded programs, and consolidate College of Engineering programs currently located elsewhere on campus."

The new addition houses "three lecture halls with capacities of 149, 63 and 56 students and seven 30- to 48-occupant classrooms that primarily serve students
in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial and Systems Engineering." One of the auditoriums "feature[s] multimedia and [is] capable of
originating and receiving satellite video transmissions. The 3M Auditorium [is] used for classes and college-wide meetings, seminars and other functions." The
facility also houses offices for faculty, computer-aided engineering labs, engine research labs in the basement, and a renovated nuclear reactor lab. "The
building . . . feature[s] several student laboratories, including four new facilities with tools designed specifically for industrial and systems engineering students.
Classrooms and lecture halls are all equipped with one or more LCD projectors, an AMX component control system, laptop hookup, document camera and a
DVD/VHS player; . . . [and] videoconferencing technology. Three computer labs and some faculty laboratories also have LCD projectors."

"The primary occupants of the Mechanical Engineering Building [are] the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering. In addition
to these two major academic departments, several smaller programs and research centers will be housed in the facility. These include the Manufacturing
Systems Engineering Program, the Center for Health Systems Research & Analysis, the Center for Quality & Productivity Analysis and other small research
centers. In addition, the building houses a nuclear reactor, part of the Department of Engineering Physics. This building [is] a multi-disciplinary home
for these departments and programs, many of which collaborate on research and instruction."

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