Public Meeting Nov. 4 on Exterior Design of Planned UW Engineering Building

Members of the public will have an opportunity to view plans for, and offer input on, the exterior design of the University of Wyoming’s Engineering Education and Research Building (EERB) during a community meeting Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center’s atrium and auditorium, not far from where the new engineering building will be constructed on the north end of campus along Lewis Street.

Under a policy adopted recently by the UW Board of Trustees, an exterior design advisory committee has been appointed for the EERB project, to guide planning for the new facility’s appearance. The new board policy also calls for a community meeting to seek public input on the building’s exterior design.

Renderings of the exterior of the planned facility have been created, in consultation with the EERB exterior design advisory committee, and will be available for review before and after the community meeting. The session will include a presentation on the building’s exterior design and an opportunity to ask questions about the project.

Members of the advisory committee are state Sen. Phil Nicholas, UW Trustee John McKinley, College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Michael Pishko, UW Foundation President Ben Blalock and Laramie City Council member Joe Shumway.

Part of UW’s Tier-1 Engineering Initiative, the building will provide new spaces for modern instruction and research, including a new shop and student project areas; teaching and computer labs in an active-learning configuration; reconfigurable research labs with associated office and collaborative spaces; meeting/conference rooms; and an expanded drilling simulator facility. The exterior has been designed in compliance with UW’s newly revised Historic Preservation Plan, which calls for elements to preserve UW’s classical architectural tradition.

At a cost of more than $100 million, it will be the largest construction project in the university’s history. GE Johnson Construction of Jackson has been selected as the construction manager at risk. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017 and be completed in summer 2019.