Fitts-Woolard Hall

NC State University engineers continue to change the world through groundbreaking research that solves society’s greatest challenges. Our students benefit from a hands-on educational experience integrating research and education that prepares future generations of leaders and fuels the high tech economy of North Carolina and the nation.

Fitts-Woolard Hall opened in summer 2020. The College’s newest facility marks a crucial next step in the College of Engineering’s move to Centennial Campus, providing critical infrastructure that allows faculty members and students to leverage the power of convergence across disciplines in an atmosphere unmatched anywhere in the nation.

NC State’s Centennial Campus provides a unique research park environment that catalyzes entrepreneurship and innovation in the College of Engineering. The state-of-the-art engineering buildings and their close proximity to industry and government facilities on Centennial Campus foster and facilitate innovation in research and education through partnership opportunities and inspire and enable faculty and students to address the grand challenges of 21st century society.

Why build a new engineering building?

Engineering at NC State is a powerful driver of economic impact for North Carolina and the nation. NC State’s engineering graduates not only dominate the state’s highly skilled workforce at companies such as Cree, SAS and IBM; they also create jobs by developing new technologies, launching innovative companies and bringing cutting-edge products to market. NC State’s College of Engineering is critical in attracting businesses and industries to North Carolina.

Demand for engineering and computer science degrees has never been higher. The high tech economy of North Carolina and the nation demands a steady flow of engineering graduates to maintain the nation’s leadership in a global economy.

Currently, NC State produces more than 2,500 engineers and computer scientists each year, among the highest number of engineering degrees in the nation. The College of Engineering continues to grow to help meet demand. In the past 10 years, engineering undergraduate enrollment has grown by 22 percent, and graduate enrollment has more than doubled.

Who is using Fitts-Woolard Hall?

Fitts-Woolard Hall is the new home of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering; the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; and the dean’s administrative offices. Innovators from these departments will use additional classrooms and state-of-the-art laboratories to further research and education excellence in areas of critical societal need:

• Biomanufacturing
• Advanced manufacturing
• Rapid prototyping
• Health systems engineering
• Construction engineering and management
• Environmental engineering
• Transportation systems and other fields of great societal impact

How did we make Fitts-Woolard Hall a reality?

NC State University made Fitts-Woolard Hall a top-priority capital project for the university in 2014. Using the state flexibility for public-private partnerships to finance construction, NC State set out an ambitious plan to raise private funds for construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall while lobbying for state funding to support half of the $150 million needed to complete the building.

In fall 2015, the North Carolina legislature passed critical legislation that supports the construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall: $2 million in planning funds, included in the biennial budget, and a $75 million allocation included in the Connect NC bond referendum. On March 15, 2016, North Carolinians voted to pass the bond referendum ensuring that $77 million in public funds are available to build Fitts-Woolard Hall.

Fundraising for Private Funds

Fundraising for the private funds needed to complete Fitts-Woolard Hall has been under way with excellent success. Alumni and friends of the College of Engineering have pledged substantial leadership gifts in support of Fitts-Woolard Hall construction. So far, the College has raised just over $49 million.

Fitts-Woolard Hall is open, but the College still has an $11 million gap to fill. Without the help of its alumni and friends, meeting the College’s obligations could mean debt financing that would impact the College’s ability to offer a broad, enriching experience to its undergraduate and graduate students. To aid the fundraising effort, the NC State Engineering Foundation (NCSEF) has developed a portfolio of giving opportunities for donors.

Giving Opportunities

The state of North Carolina and the university have provided much of the funding for the construction of the building. The College needs the help of its alumni and friends to raise the remaining funds in order to break ground on this signature project that will impact our students for generations to come.

The Cornerstone Society

The Cornerstone Society provides an opportunity for you to name a space of your choosing in the new building or in existing engineering buildings on Centennial Campus. Naming opportunities begin at $100,000. As a member of this exclusive society, you will have your name permanently associated with the space of your choosing, and your gift will be recognized in a central location in the newly named Fitts-Woolard Hall along with a special recognition biography and photo. In addition, as a Cornerstone Society member, you will be invited to exclusive events, including the dedication of the new building.

Dean’s Oval Club

The Dean’s Oval Club was created to give the opportunity to more individuals and companies to make an investment in the Fitts-Woolard Hall Project (formerly the Engineering Oval Project). To underscore the importance of supporting the construction of the newly named Fitts-Woolard Hall, Dean Louis A. Martin-Vega and his wife, Mrs. Maggie Martin, gave a leadership gift to launch the new Dean’s Oval Club. Your gift of $50,000 to $100,000 toward the construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall gives you the honor of membership in this exclusive group of visionaries. As a member of the Dean’s Oval Club, you will receive permanent recognition with a donor profile in a central location in Fitts-Woolard Hall and invitations to exclusive events, including the dedication of the new building.

The Dean’s Young Alumni Oval Club

The Dean’s Young Alumni Oval Club is a special offer that gives our young alumni who are up to 15 years out from graduation the opportunity to make an investment in the Fitts-Woolard Hall Project (formerly the Engineering Oval Project). To underscore the importance of supporting the construction of the newly named Fitts-Woolard Hall, Dean Louis A. Martin-Vega and his wife, Mrs. Maggie Martin, gave a leadership gift to launch the new Dean’s Engineering Building Oval Club and the Dean’s Young Alumni Oval Club. Young alumni who give $25,000 over five years toward the construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall will receive the honor of membership in this exclusive group of visionaries. As a member of the Dean’s Young Alumni Oval Club, you will receive permanent recognition with a donor profile in a central location in Fitts-Woolard Hall and invitations to exclusive events, including the dedication of the new building.

Fitts-Woolard Hall Project Fund

For information on how to support Fitts-Woolard Hall, please contact Griffin Lamb, executive director of major gifts and campaign planning for the NC State Engineering Foundation at (919) 515-7458 or grlamb@ncsu.edu.

Fitts-Woolard Hall at a Glance

Project Highlights

• Students: 1,560
• Faculty/Staff: 170
• Flexible and adaptable teaching and research labs, classrooms and offices
• Building promotes interaction and collaboration among faculty, students and staff
• Building serves as teaching tool, demonstrating sustainability and engineering components throughout its envelope, structure and control systems
• LEED Silver Certified minimum
• Engineering on display through transparent labs and exposed building components
• Stormwater management, using constructed wetland and underground cistern (fed by roof runoff and condensate return)

Budget

• Engineering Building:  $137,000,000
• Utility Plant Expansion (combined heat and power): $17,000,000|
• Total Project Budget: $154,000,000

Size

• ~ 225,000 Gross Square Feet

Schedule

• Design Completion: March 2018
• Construction Start: April 2018
• Construction Completion: June 2020
• Building Dedication Event: October 29, 2021

Designer

• Clark Nexsen, Raleigh, NC (Designer of Record for Hunt Library)

Construction Manager

• Skanska, Durham, NC (Construction Manager for Engineering Building III and Hunt Library)