M. Miller Gorrie Center Renovations

The McWhorter School of Building Science celebrated the addition of new, state-of-the-art facilities in the M. Miller Gorrie Center. The renovation includes an EASL (Engaged Active Student Learning) classroom on the third floor and the transformation of the former Demonstration Lab into the new Construction Visualization Lab. These projects are in response to an increase in enrollment in recent years as well as the increasing presence of technology in the construction industry.

The EASL classroom features a total of eight student and one instructor “pods.” These lend themselves to dividing a class into groups for a more collaborative learning environment. Each pod is sponsored by an industry partner, including: Evergreen Construction, Bailey-Harris Construction, Ben M. Radcliff Contractor, Inc., Doster Construction, Robins & Morton, M.J. Harris Construction Services, Associated General Contractors, The Clement Group, and Cherokee Pumping, Inc.

The Construction Visualization Lab was made possible through philanthropy from M. Miller Gorrie and Frances Gorrie, who are honoring the men and women of Brasfield & Gorrie through their gift, and Holder Construction. This cutting-edge classroom features extraordinary A/V capabilities. A large, curved wall houses a grouping of edgeless monitors which can be operated separately or as a unit. There is also a smart projector + whiteboard setup on the adjacent wall. The whole A/V system is controlled by a state-of-the-art operating system called Mezzanine by Oblong. Just outside the lab, there are three new Competition Team Rooms sponsored by EMJ Construction, Caddell Construction, and Atlanta Building Science Alumni. These provide a space for building science students to prepare for construction competitions around the world.

Both of these new spaces encourage new and different teaching and learning styles. With technology as the focus, students are able to be more interactive in the classroom, and faculty have much more flexibility with instructional content. The EASL classroom and the Construction Visualization Lab enrich the quality of construction education provided at the McWhorter School.