EYP Celebrates Grand Opening of NC A&T’s Engineering Research & Innovation Complex (ERIC)

RALEIGH, N.C. – EYP was a proud participant in the official ribbon cutting of North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University (NC A&T)’s Engineering Research & Innovation Complex (ERIC), held Thurs., Feb. 17. The event celebrated the completion of a three-plus-year, $90 million project funded by an investment from the Connect NC bond referendum, passed by voters in 2016.

NC A&T, a public, historically Black land-grant research university in Greensboro, N.C., is the top producer of undergraduate-level engineering degrees for African Americans in the nation. Ground was broken on ERIC in 2018 and represents the university’s dedication to research, innovation, and economic impact.

EYP – an integrated design firm specializing in higher education, government, healthcare, and science & technology – was sought to steer the design of an open and airy glass-paneled facility that will accommodate a growing number of students at the College of Engineering and foster creative collaboration across the disciplines – and within the community.

The four-story, 130,000-square-foot space utilizes state-of-the art features that provide the technology and amenities to transfer knowledge from academia to industry and government more creatively and expeditiously.

“ERIC is a hot space for innovation where faculty, staff, and students form industry partnerships and apply speed-to-market principles with new projects, prototypes, and job opportunities that impact the community,” said Dan Fields, AIA, EYP’s project executive principal. “The facility highlights what’s possible in STEM education and it has been an honor and privilege to be a part of this groundbreaking project.”

As an interdisciplinary and multifunctional center for academics, research, and community engagement that will help create a pipeline of STEM leaders, ERIC not only will serve as a catalyst for short- and long-term economic growth and development throughout North Carolina but will also help create new job opportunities as companies statewide seek to meet the demands of tomorrow.

BUILDING HIGHLIGHTS

• Wet and Dry Labs
• Manufacturing and Process Systems High Bay
• Core Research High Bay
• Bio-Mechanical Core Lab
• Cyber Security Core Lab
• Systems Engineering Lab
• Maker and Fabrication Spaces
• Ideation Seminar Rooms
• Classrooms, Conference Space, and Offices
• Opportunities for experiential learning and distance learning
• Prototyping laboratories and studios
• Modern learning spaces both indoors and out