March 15, 2017
Two Kansas State University buildings win building awards contest
Submitted by Communications and Marketing
The Berney Family Welcome Center and Engineering Hall are the Judges Choice winner and runner-up, respectively, for state building awards by the Associated General Contractors of Kansas Inc.
Completed in 2016, the Berney Family Welcome Center uses the east side of the historic Memorial Stadium in a modern way. It is one of the first facilities in the U.S. to provide a central location for new and prospective students and their families to connect with key student services. Designed by Ebert Mayo Design Group and constructed by Hutton Construction, the welcome center, at 37,000 square feet, houses New Student Services, the Career Center, campus tour services, an information center, 25 interview rooms, energy-efficient features, an interactive digital wall and a living green roof that replaced a majority of the seats where fans once cheered the Wildcats.
Engineering Hall, phase IV of the College of Engineering expansion, provides 108,000-square-feet of space for a new reception center, a 250-seat auditorium and a large student collaboration suite in addition to expanded teaching, research, conference room and office areas. Designed by Perkins + Will and constructed by McCownGordon Construction, the expansion connects Durland, Rathbone and Fiedler halls to encourage collaboration, discovery and innovation in a flexible and dynamic facility. The expansion also is helping the college grow from 2,900 to nearly 4,000 undergraduate students and reach a goal set by the state Legislature to increase the annual number of Kansas engineering graduates from 865 to 1,365 by 2023.