North Carolina A&T State University is set the welcome a new engineering and research building on campus next month! Get the full story from the N.C. A&T release below!
Credit: Trajan Warren
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will celebrate the grand opening of the Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research and Innovation Complex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the complex Thursday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m.
The program will feature remarks from N.C. Sen. Gladys A. Robinson, representatives of the UNC Board of Governors and Board of Trustees and other university leaders. N.C. A&T Chancellor Martin, the facility’s namesake, will deliver the occasion.
The Martin Complex, a 130,000-square-foot building equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, open concept laboratories, high bay areas and makerspaces, stands four stories high as a prominent fixture of innovation in the East Greensboro community.
In 2016, North Carolinians passed the $2 billion Connect NC Bond, which funded numerous projects across the state, including updates to state park facilities, construction projects for community colleges, and support for the expansion of STEM offerings at several universities across the state.
A&T received $90 million aimed to bolster its development and training of the next generation of exceptional engineers and computer scientists matriculating through seven College of Engineering (COE) departments and to enhance the research productivity of prominent faculty researchers. A&T is widely recognized for graduating more African American engineers than any university in America.
A&T broke ground on the construction site in 2018 and held a “topping out” ceremony in the fall of 2019, with 40% of the facility complete. Two years later, contractors finalized building efforts on time and within the allotted budget.
The Martin Complex received a silver certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the global standard in rating green buildings for efficiency and sustainability. The facility is at the intersection of Market and Dudley streets and is one of several new or proposed facilities in the surrounding area already budding with innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship.
In the final stages of construction now, Bailey Village at Downtown East, also on East Market Street, will offer 172 luxury apartments, restaurants and a national grocery store among other retail opportunities. Additionally, The Resurgent – a proposed mixed-use development at Market Street and Benbow Road – will provide similar opportunities for economic revitalization with a promise of prioritizing sustainability.
