A pair of major building projects are being planned for the Tennessee Tech campus in Cookeville, the university announced July 27.
The total renovation of Johnson Hall, coupled with the demolition of Foster Hall, and another new engineering building, are budgeted to cost more than $100 million.
"As part of this year's historic budget for higher education, Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly invested heavily for Tech's future students," said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. "On behalf of the entire Tech community, our faculty, staff, students and alumni, I am grateful for this support and appreciate how it will enable us to continue to serve students."
The school reported that funds for the state's portion of the project costs were included in the Tennessee budget for 2022-23, and with the arrival of the new fiscal year July 1, both projects will soon begin the multi-year path to completion.
Engineering Building to Cost $62.4 Million
The school said that its planned Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering building — the second new engineering facility funded in the past two years at Tennessee Tech — will be cross-disciplinary within the College of Engineering and will provide students with applied skills called for directly by industry partners.
"The Tennessee Tech College of Engineering prides itself on graduates who are trained not just in the classroom but also in environments and with equipment that matches what employers use," explained Joseph Slater, dean of the school's College of Engineering. "This facility will ensure our students experience real-world manufacturing and construction while they are students, instead of relying on industry to complete their education post-graduation."
The cost for the Advanced Construction and Manufacturing Engineering building is $62.4 million, with the university supplying $5 million, of which $1.7 million must come from private donations.
The initial project timeline is nearly four years. Upon completion of the new facility, the college will vacate its current engineering space in the East Stadium structure, and Lewis Hall and the old Foundry building will be demolished.
The new building provides a modernization of Tennessee Tech's manufacturing facilities to better house its already modernized manufacturing equipment. The project will include a foundry, along with replacing older spaces for concrete manufacturing and materials testing.
At more than 2,600 students, the College of Engineering is Tennesse Tech's largest college, accounting for almost 27 percent of the university's total student body.
Construction on the Ashraf Islam Engineering Building, funded by the state in last year's budget along with donations including a major gift from Tech alum Ashraf Islam, got under way last year.
"Hand-in-hand, these two new buildings show prospective students the entire path from concept to analysis, collaborative design, further analysis and testing of ideas in the lab," Slater explained. "Students who experience both buildings will be able to see and understand the entire process of creation that engineering represents."
College of Business Building to Be Upgraded
In addition, Johnson Hall, home of the College of Business and built in 1970, will undergo a complete renovation, which will include updating the building's systems and equipment (such as HVAC), along with reallocating its space with regards to classrooms, labs, student collaboration areas and office workspace.
"The newly designed Johnson Hall is configured to accommodate the way students learn today while providing flexibility for future growth," noted Thomas Payne, dean of Tennessee Tech's College of Business. "Spaces are included in the design to provide students opportunities for collaboration, group presentations and experiential learning."
The renovations to Johnson Hall also will expand the Heidtke Trading Room, Bloomberg Suite, IT Forensics and Networking Labs, making those technology-focused spaces focal points for the building.
"All students earning a degree in business need to engage in experiential learning activities to prepare for the professional world," Payne said. "The remodeled [Johnson Hall] will allow us to showcase these opportunities and to collaborate with our business partners in new and exciting ways."
The College of Business offers more than 1,300 majors for nearly 14 percent of Tennessee Tech's students, while also serving many others on campus through various minors and general education courses.
The project budget for the Johnson Hall renovation and Foster Hall demolition is $37.6 million, with the university match being $1.5 million.
Tennessee Tech expects Johnson Hall will re-open for the fall 2025 semester.
Both the engineering and business building projects were identified as the top priorities in the university's new primary plan, which was approved earlier this year. The comprehensive facilities plan for the campus creates a vision of what the Tennessee Tech of the future will look like as well as identifies needs and opportunities that guide future development.
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