The Cockrell School of Engineering at Austin recently celebrated the grand opening of the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), a 432,500 sq. ft. multidisciplinary  facility designed by Ennead Architects in collaboration with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.The building features makerspaces, large-scale labs and state-of-the-art classrooms for undergraduate and interdisciplinary graduate learning and research. The institute’s architectural highlights include the 23,000 sq. ft. National Instruments Student Project Center which will house advanced tools for engineering research; the Texas Instruments teaching and project labs; the James J. and Miriam B. Mulva Auditorium and Conference Center; and the Center for Innovation to foster enterpreneurship.The building structure features two nine-story towers in limestone and glass, designed for labs, work spaces and offices. A three-story atrium connects the two towers. The inward glass curtain wall facades of the towers and the folded glass and steel roof of the atrium creates a light-filled space, which is the heart of the building. The various research environments are joined by staircases and bridges that create circulation paths throughout the building.The architecture of the building celebrates the engineering principles through features like a steel truss system that spans the towers, an intricate spiral staircase, and more. The glass walls of the National Instruments Student Project Center provide an open view of the research tools, mechanical systems and enginenering education.EERC has been designed as a high performance, suatinable LEED Silver building, featuring solar heat optimization, planted terraces, air quality sensors, and storm water management.For more details, visit: http://www.ennead.com/Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the project.  Read more