Michigan engineering breaks ground for new computer science and engineering building

The 104,000 square-foot, $40-million structure will meet the needs of approximately 900 undergraduates, 300 graduate students, and 46 faculty members currently spread throughout multiple facilities. It will include computing labs, classrooms, conference rooms, student project space and a wireless environment. All computer science and engineering faculty and staff, student offices and labs will be housed in the new building.

Fundraising from private sources is in progress and is eventually expected to cover the entire cost of construction.

Diamond and Schmitt's design approach followed consultation with academic users, administrators, facilities management staff and building operators.

"The building was designed to enhance communication among faculty and students, one of the most important aspects of research and teaching," said John Laird, associate chair, Computer Science and Engineering Division. "In addition to the obvious physical benefits of having a new facility, the building is a very important and tangible statement of the commitment of the College and University to computer science and engineering. Over the years, that commitment has helped us become one of the top computer science and engineering programs in the country; and with a new building, that commitment is even more clear and will have a significant positive impact on our national and international reputation."

"Diamond and Schmitt was able to create an edifice that fit into our environment, enhanced the other structures, and most important, blended aesthetics and functionality," said Judith Pitney, executive director, Resource Planning and Management. "It will foster working relationships between students and faculty and accommodate the growth we are experiencing in computer science and engineering enrollment and research activity."

Building Design Leverages Challenging Topography The new facility will follow the natural topography, built into the hillside, surrounded by a cluster of laboratory and teaching buildings. The building site was a challenge to design, as the ground slopes more than two stories in height. The architects responded with a design that incorporates a series of terrace gardens on three levels, which form a public promenade.

"The overarching theme of collaboration manifests itself with an interior sky-lit court, with stairs that follow the slope of the hill, connecting all floors," said principal architect Donald Schmitt. "The court and the stair will be places of meeting, creating an open forum of collaboration."

The building is scheduled to be completed in Winter 2006.

Diamond and Schmitt has a significant specialization in academic buildings, and recently celebrated the opening of the $12.5M Queen's Cancer Research Laboratory at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (with Shoalts and Zaback Architects); the opening of the $100M Bahen Centre for Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto; and launched the design of the $50M Computer Science and Engineering Building for Hebrew University, Jerusalem (with Kolker Kolker Epstein).

High Resolution Images of the new facility may be found here:

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About Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated
Established in 1975, Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated is an internationally recognized firm, committed to design shaped by user needs. Services include architecture, urban planning, building conservation and interior design.

DSAI has received more than 90 medals and regional, national and international awards for design excellence. The firm has undertaken projects in Canada, the United States of America, England, France, The Czech Republic, Israel and the Caribbean.

About the University of Michigan College of Engineering Celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year, the University of Michigan College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top engineering schools in the world. The College is composed of 11 academic departments: aerospace engineering; atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences; biomedical engineering; chemical engineering; civil and environmental engineering; electrical engineering and computer science; industrial and operations engineering; materials science and engineering; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and marine engineering; and nuclear engineering and radiological sciences. Each year the college enrolls over 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students and grants about 1,200 undergraduate degrees and 800 masters and doctoral degrees. To learn more, please visit our Web site at www.engin.umich.edu .