Skip to main content
School of Engineering, Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH
Engineered for success.
Preparing graduates for real-world challenges.
Building campus connections through collaboration
Cleveland State University’s highly regarded School of Engineering struggled to meet the demands of a 21st-century engineering education in a cramped, aging facility. The tight, urban site constricted available workspace, while the at-capacity building offered little flexibility to accommodate renovations without disrupting operations.

Cleveland State turned to HED to design an addition onto the multi-disciplinary Fenn Hall that would be dedicated to engineering, creating new classrooms, labs and group learning areas, increasing the building footprint and creating a statement from the street.

The Washkewicz College of Engineering addition expanded the original Fenn Hall to create a world-class facility that furthers these goals with state-of-the-art engineering facilities, including a multi-story makerspace that forms the intellectual “hub” of both the building and the campus community—attracting students from the engineering, fine arts, and business disciplines to build, refine and test new products. The facility includes laboratory spaces for Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Mechanical Engineering. It also includes classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, and faculty offices.

Following its extensive renovation and expansion, this LEED Gold-certified structure epitomizes world-class academic design. Flexible, functional and state-of-the-art, the facility advances the School of Engineering’s mission to “support an engaged engineering education, graduating ready-to-go engineers who are prepared to solve real-world challenges.”
/7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Results
The original master plan was developed to accommodate changing needs, increase space in an at-capacity structure, and make existing spaces more conducive to engineering and classroom functions, including renovations to 200,000 square feet of the existing structure, plus a 32,000 square foot addition creates space to expand academic programs.
Approximately 7,000 square feet of space were specifically designed to support web-based learning—a key paradigm shift in 21st-century education.
The redesigned interior features shared learning spaces, discipline-specific laboratories, and flxible classrooms that can be "flipped" to accommodate both group lectures and individual work.
A multi-story makerspace forms the intellectual “hub” of both the building and the campus community, promoting the cross-pollination of ideas between engineering, fine arts, and business disciplines.
Achieving LEED Gold status, the design employed strategic site utilization to reduce stormwater runoff, reduced water consumption by 30%, utilizes 70% renewably sourced electricity and energy-efficient mechanical systems, is built from 25% recycled steel, and employs interior materials containing no- or low – VOC’s.
Preparing graduates for real-world challenges.
School of Engineering, Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH
PROJECT DATA

LEED Gold

2020

Engineered for success.