Fitts-Woolard Hall at NC State Named “Public Project of the Year” by Business North Carolina

Fitts-Woolard Hall was named “Public Project of the Year” by Business North Carolina as part of the magazine’s 2021 Building North Carolina awards. These annual awards recognize some of the state’s most significant real estate projects, evaluated based on design, innovation, and community impact.

Located on NC State University’s Centennial Campus, Fitts-Woolard Hall is a 225,000 square foot engineering building that encompasses more than 100 classrooms and laboratories. The research and instruction taking place in the facility is put “on display,” with views into lab and classroom spaces from both the exterior and interior of the building. This emphasis on transparency fosters curiosity, interaction, and problem solving between the different engineering disciplines housed within Fitts-Woolard.

“The concept of engineering on display celebrates the work being done by making it visible,” comments Clark Nexsen Principal Shann Rushing. “That translates to more collaboration and more innovative discoveries. It’s really rewarding to see these spaces come to life and having a positive impact for faculty and students.”

Fitts-Woolard embodies the goal for Centennial Campus to be a research park that merges teaching, research, and commercialization. The building’s teaching and research spaces support global high-tech industries including advanced manufacturing, robotics and sensor technology, transportation and logistics, and bioengineering.

“Our faculty are working on some of the most challenging problems around civil infrastructure and protection from natural hazards including earthquakes and floods,” Morton Barlaz, head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, told Business NC. “The new building enables this research with space for a broad range of experimental work involving our students.”

NC State is consistently ranked as a top national engineering program with enrollment that is growing rapidly. Its economic impact in North Carolina and beyond is substantial, and Fitts-Woolard Hall helps accommodate its continued growth and prominence as a leader in engineering education.

Read the Business North Carolina Building NC awards article.