Engineering Construction Update: DWE C-Wing, E6 Construction and Fire

For the last several years, our campus has been in a constant state of flux.  Renovations, additions, and several new buildings have sprung up in one of the largest expansions of our campus in decades. This change in the landscape is set to continue well into 2012 and will hit the current engineering side of campus with the renovation of DWE’s C-Wing.

Although the exact details of the renovation are to be finalized, C-Wing (the part of DWE that connects to CPH) will be closed for construction once all current Chemical Engineering occupants have moved to E6. The majority of the work entails a complete asbestos removal followed by a renovation, which will see the space converted for the wing’s future occupants, Civil and Environmental Engineering. In speaking with Sue Gooding, Operations Manager in the Dean of Engineering Office, construction is expected to start September 1^st and be completed by Spring 2012.

After the renovation is complete, the space is expected to contain Civil and Environmental Engineering undergraduate teaching lab space as well as research labs for the same group.

Just to the northeast of DWE, another new Engineering building is almost ready to for occupancy. Engineering 6, which has been under construction since the Fall of 2009, is almost ready to partly house the Chemical Engineering Department which will be moving out of DWE.  Substantial completion is expected for the end of June, after which some ChemEng labs and offices will be moved-in.

Fourth-year Chemical Engineering students will have a new fourth year room in the new building. In speaking with Sue Gooding, the room will be in the South-west corner on the 5^th floor of E6. Students can look forward to a brand new study space complete with sofas, chairs, and tables. Fourth year students will likely get access to this space shortly after the start of the Fall 2011 term.

While still under construction, a small fire started inside Engineering 6 on Monday, June 6^th.  According to a City of Waterloo media release, the fire, caused by a spark from a welder’s torch, was contained to a fume hood and ductwork inside a 4^th floor lab. The fire did not cause significant damage, and according to the Dean’s office, this will not delay the building’s construction.