A new Student Success Building will serve as the heart of the newly designed University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering. The 115,000-sf structure will greatly increase lab space and consolidate student services to one location.
Currently admissions counselors, academic counselors, tutors, student success coordinators, co-op counselors, and other support teams are located on different floors and in multiple buildings. The plan groups all the support teams into a single connected office suite. A central help desk at the main entrance will assist students to receive the most appropriate support services. Shared collaborative spaces will facilitate regular meetings among the different teams, and shared office support will streamline internal operations.
The new university building will serve as a valuable “home base” for students, especially during their first year. It will house classes, provide access to tutoring, enable meetings with academic and co-op counselors, host student success seminars, offer study spaces and meeting rooms for student groups, and feature an informal recreational area.
![Maker space at University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20%20Interior_makerspace.jpg)
An engineering garage space will serve as a hub for hands-on learning and competition team activities. This area will provide ample room for students to work on projects, build prototypes, and conduct experiments. It will be equipped with specialized tools, machinery, and materials to support various engineering disciplines. The garage space will not only enhance students’ technical skills but also promote teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. Engineering students will have the opportunity to participate in competitions, where they can apply their knowledge, learn from their peers, and showcase their innovations.
The second and third floors will house lab space for the university’s Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research, where researchers will study solar power, green fuels, and materials. Construction is underway, with an expected completion date of summer 2025.
Owner and/or developer: University of Louisville
Design architect: SmithGroup
Architect of record: Luckett & Farley
MEP engineer: Luckett & Farley
Structural engineer: SmithGroup
General contractor/construction manager: Whittenberg Construction
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20%20collabSpace.jpg)
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20%20firstFloorHallway.jpg)
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20AerialView.jpg)
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20classroom.jpg)
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20exterior1.jpg)
![University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering Student Success Building. Rendering courtesy SmithGroup](/sites/default/files/inline-images/University%20of%20Louisville%20J.B.%20Speed%20School%20of%20Engineering%20Student%20Success%20Building%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20SmithGroup%20exterior2.jpg)
Related Stories
| Nov 3, 2010
Recreation center targets student health, earns LEED Platinum
Not only is the student recreation center at the University of Arizona, Tucson, the hub of student life but its new 54,000-sf addition is also super-green, having recently attained LEED Platinum certification.
| Nov 3, 2010
Virginia biofuel research center moving along
The Sustainable Energy Technology Center has broken ground in October on the Danville, Va., campus of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The 25,000-sf facility will be used to develop enhanced bio-based fuels, and will house research laboratories, support labs, graduate student research space, and faculty offices. Rainwater harvesting, a vegetated roof, low-VOC and recycled materials, photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and water-saving systems, and LED light fixtures will be deployed. Dewberry served as lead architect, with Lord Aeck & Sargent serving as laboratory designer and sustainability consultant. Perigon Engineering consulted on high-bay process labs. New Atlantic Contracting is building the facility.
| Nov 3, 2010
Dining center cooks up LEED Platinum rating
Students at Bowling Green State University in Ohio will be eating in a new LEED Platinum multiuse dining center next fall. The 30,000-sf McDonald Dining Center will have a 700-seat main dining room, a quick-service restaurant, retail space, and multiple areas for students to gather inside and out, including a fire pit and several patios—one of them on the rooftop.
| Nov 1, 2010
John Pearce: First thing I tell designers: Do your homework!
John Pearce, FAIA, University Architect at Duke University, Durham, N.C., tells BD+C’s Robert Cassidy about the school’s construction plans and sustainability efforts, how to land work at Duke, and why he’s proceeding with caution when it comes to BIM.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
| Oct 13, 2010
Campus building gives students a taste of the business world
William R. Hough Hall is the new home of the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The $17.6 million, 70,000-sf building gives students access to the latest technology, including a lab that simulates the stock exchange.
| Oct 13, 2010
Science building supports enrollment increases
The new Kluge-Moses Science Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, in Charlottesville, is part of a campus update designed and managed by the Lukmire Partnership. The 34,000-sf building is designed to be both a focal point of the college and a recruitment mechanism to get more students enrolling in healthcare programs.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.