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EERC / Todd Schliemann of Ennead Architects with Jacobs Engineering Group

The Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), developed over seven years, redefines engineering education by integrating undergraduate project-based learning, interdisciplinary graduate research, and entrepreneurship in state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, and maker spaces. Key components include the 23,000-square-foot National Instruments Student Project Center, the James J. and Miriam B. Mulva Auditorium and Conference Center, Texas Instruments teaching and project labs, and the Center for Innovation, the school’s first space focused on rapidly moving revolutionary ideas to market. The design, emphasizing "Transparency and Unification," organizes the building into two nine-story limestone and glass towers tailored to the distinct needs of electrical and computer engineering and interdisciplinary research. These towers are linked by a three-story enclosed atrium with a folded glass and steel roof, creating a vibrant, light-filled public space to encourage interaction between faculty, students, and visitors. Bridges and staircases connect the different research environments, while floor-to-ceiling glass reveals the National Instruments Student Project Center, placing engineering education fully on display. Architectural elements throughout the building celebrate engineering principles, from the steel truss systems spanning the towers to the intricate spiral staircase, the delicate “V” column below it, and sky bridges connecting the floors, all reinforcing the integration of learning, research, and innovation.