Over two years ago, ground was broken on what was to be the John and Marva Warnock Engineering Building. And Friday the building, named for the former U graduates, was officially opened in a dedicatory ceremony.
David Pershing, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs said of the Warnock’s, “They dreamed of a new facility for faculty and students to working. With out their help we wouldn’t be here today.”
The four-story building will be the new academic home for engineering and computer science students.
The building was constructed using enough concrete to build a four-foot wide side walk 25 miles long, enough steel to build erect 5 statues of liberty, so many bricks that if stacked one on top of the other they would be 3 miles high, enough glass to cover the field at Rice Eccles stadium, and contains enough wiring to reach from Salt Lake to Cedar City, as explained by Michael Young, president of the U.
The beautiful building contains four auditorium classrooms, five seminar rooms, 13 group study rooms, an informal study area, and a caf.
“The new building gives engineering majors a place to come together and work together,” said Margaret Fitch, a freshman Chemical Engineering major, “and it gives the college room to expand.”
The building is not just functional, it is beautiful as well.
“It looks really nice, and has a great view of the Salt Lake valley,” said David Astle, a freshman Material Science Engineering.
Located in the east foyer, is a water fountain designed especially for the building by Mark Fuller, CEO and co-founder of WET design Inc. of California.
Another feature of the building is the “Skybridge”, located in the atrium. The bridge was designed by sculptor, artist and engineer Rob Fisher. Actual photos of Utah clouds were used to create the cloud pattern on the bridge.
Not only does the building provide and academic home for the college of engineering it is also houses the Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) institute. The SCI institute run by Chris Johnson is located on the third and fourth floors of the new building.
“Improved facilities and more working space makes it possible for advancement of the university,” said Astle.
Tyler CobbFormer Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt and Edwin E. Catmull, president of Pixar/Disney Animation Studios, cut the ribbon of the new Warnock Engineering Building on Friday.