The University of Wisconsin Platteville is excited to unveil Sesquicentennial Hall, today (9/1), during its grand opening celebration from 1pm to 2pm. Join the celebration at the entrance nearest Southwest Road and Longhorn Drive. Sesquicentennial Hall hopes to transform the way that UW-Platteville educates the next generation of engineering leaders. It brings together all engineering disciplines, computer science, and the sustainable and renewable energy systems program to the same building. The $55 million project was made possible by support from the UW System Board of Regents and state legislature.

This new building joins the current Busby Hall of Engineering to create a 200,000 square foot complex which supports interdisciplinary engineering and computer science. The building includes exposed infrastructure, data-generating building systems to be used in a variety of classes, and an energy-isolated space in which students and faculty can explore building-specific questions in the hands-on manner for which UW-Platteville is well-known. Building specifics make the building itself a learning tool, with the goal of transforming the future of engineering education.

According to the website the new space includes;

  • Three classrooms, including two active learning classrooms

  • Huff Family Innovation Center, where students can turn their idea, progressively, into a design, a prototype, and a business plan

  • Accessible green roof

  • Five cross-functional and shared teaching laboratories

  • Presto Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Senior Design Lab and MSA Professional Services Civil and Environmental Engineering Senior Design Classroom

  • Laboratories to support undergraduate research

  • Extensive student study space

  • Mentor Center and Strand Associates Inc. CenterPOINT (staffed study spaces managed by College of EMS Student Success Programs)

  • Conference rooms and a coffee shop

  • Offices for faculty and staff, as well as the College of Engineering Mathematics and Science Dean’s office

In addition, UW-Platteville has led with a commitment to sustainable design and a greener campus; and are seeking LEED certification of Sesquicentennial Hall to assure the building will be at the forefront of sustainable design, with an emphases towards innovative concepts in building operations, with a goal to create enhanced efficiency in water and energy use, reduce waste, and improve air quality.

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