BSCI Unveils $1M Thesis Lab

The 2,300-sqft space now accommodates 48 thesis students this fall but has the capacity to serve a full 52-student cohort all in one room, a necessity prompted by the expansion of the BSCI program.

Over 2,270 students were ushered through the two previous rooms that were renovated. The new Brasfield & Gorrie Thesis Lab  features a large open space with upgraded workstations, office-like lighting and a breakout area with a kitchenette for students who work after-hours on their projects.

“My vision was a transitional space for students becoming construction professionals, providing thesis students with an environment that’s more like what they will see in the offices they go to work in,” said Richard Burt, BSCI School Head and McWhorter Endowed Chair.

Utilizing student input and mockups, the design work was done by CMH Architects’ Blake Nelson, Executive Vice President and a 1998 graduate of CADC’s Architecture program, and the construction was completed by Carlisle Construction with oversight from Auburn University Facility Project Manager Kelly O’Neal-Young, a 2006 BSCI.

“The new Brasfield & Gorrie Thesis Lab will provide students with an innovative approach to their program in a more professional setting,” O’Neal-Young said. “It will give them an opportunity to utilize experiences from their classmates by sharing and collaborating to help their thesis gravitate to be the best.”

The BSCI thesis project dates to the program’s launch in the 1940s. Each student selects a building and puts together an estimate, schedule, 3D model, financial analysis and set of construction documents. Upon completion, students sign the exposed steelwork in the lab to commemorate their graduation.

Associate Professor Jeff Kim, who currently leads the thesis studies, called the project a rite of passage.

“Ask any graduate, and they’ll likely recall it as the defining experience of their time in the program,” Kim said. “This renovation marks a significant upgrade to a cornerstone of the Auburn Building Science curriculum.”

“While the new classroom provides the physical space, it’s the students—their energy, collaboration and even their moments of uncertainty—that truly drive the learning,” he continued. “Thesis is a challenge, no doubt, but it’s also where students grow into confident problem solvers, gaining skills that go far beyond estimating and scheduling.”

The new Thesis Lab was made possible by a $1 million gift from Brasfield & Gorrie, a company that believes in the power of learning by doing.

“The Thesis Lab is an investment in that hands-on learning that fuels the next generation of builders,” said Rob Blalock ’98, CEO of Brasfield & Gorrie. “Auburn’s Building Science program shaped many of our leaders—including me—and this gift is about paying that forward.

“We’re proud to support a space where students can test ideas, take risks and start developing the kind of practical insight and leadership our industry needs,” Blalock continued. “It’s not just about buildings—it’s about building people.”